Lakers Face Challenges Without LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers team is preparing for the start of the season with the absence of LeBron James, who is recovering from a sciatic injury on the right side of his body. Despite this absence, Luka Doncic, another of the team’s stars, has expressed that he does not feel the need to take on greater responsibility in the absence of James.I don’t see it that way. I just want to play basketball. If I do less, if I do more, whatever it takes to get a win.
Luka Doncic
So far, the Lakers have not achieved any victories in the preseason, with losses against the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
Lakers coach JJ Redick is still evaluating whether Doncic will participate in the next preseason game against Golden State. The team will face a series of matches in the coming days, including a match against Phoenix on Tuesday and another against the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Redick has confirmed that Doncic will play in two of the remaining four preseason games. Doncic, after actively participating on Saturday, has had a modified workload during the week to preserve his energy, following his participation with Slovenia in the EuroBasket.Redick faces the challenge of covering for James’ absence, who is expected to be out of the courts for the next three to four weeks.I had [the] national team. I played a month or so of basketball [for Slovenia]. Obviously, there’s a long season ahead, so just because of that.
Luka Doncic
Doncic, along with Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton, will occupy three of the five starting positions. Redick will have to decide who will fill the other two positions, considering options such as Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, and Marcus Smart, who offer different offensive and defensive variants. Smart, who has also been out due to Achilles tendinopathy, will play against the Warriors, according to Redick. Redick has considered the possibility of having a specific lineup and rotation for when James is on the team and another for when he is not. Doncic and James have had conversations during training, which has helped strengthen the team’s chemistry. For now, James will be present at the matches, providing his support from the bench.We hope he returns soon. Those things can be complicated. It’s not clear what the starting lineup will be, that’s the reality, until he returns. We’ll have to figure it out.
JJ Redick
It’s a big change. He’s a great player. He can help us a lot. But at the end of the day, our mentality has to be “next”. We have a group of players who have been training and we hope LeBron can join us as soon as possible. Obviously, we’re going to need him. But our mentality has to be “next”. That’s all.
Luka Doncic