For the first time in his professional journey, LeBron James will be unavailable for a season’s inaugural game. The remarkably resilient James is said to be experiencing discomfort from sciatica, which is expected to keep him off the court for a minimum of 3-4 weeks. This season-opening absence is a novel situation for James, and it might be a reality we need to prepare for. James is reaching the age of 40. There’s scant evidence of players maintaining activity at this stage, particularly at the elite level James demonstrated last season. The extent of truly, completely healthy basketball from James might be limited.
This will pose a challenge for the Lakers as the season unfolds. Currently, they face more pressing matters, like determining how to navigate the season’s commencement without one of their premier players. With James temporarily sidelined, let’s examine how this injury could affect the rest of the Lakers’ squad.
1. Could this present an opportunity for more Bronny sightings?
Immediately, the Lakers are without James for approximately 30 to 35 minutes each game at the season’s start. Marcus Smart, the guard recently acquired, is currently managing Achilles tendinopathy, casting doubt on his playing time at the season’s outset. To make space for Smart, the Lakers had to release Jordan Goodwin, a contributing guard from the previous season. While reliance on Kleber from a health perspective has its challenges, Maxi Kleber is also grappling with a quadriceps issue. Essentially, there appear to be available minutes early on.
The surprising aspect is that an injury to one LeBron James might pave the way for another LeBron James to participate. Bronny is notably smaller than his father, and they play different positions. However, the Lakers have a degree of positional flexibility. The primary ball-handlers are the senior James and Luka Dončić, both forward-sized. If LeBron, Smart, and Kleber are all unavailable, eight players would likely see action: Dončić, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes.
Most teams utilize nine or ten players during the regular season. Dalton Knecht would likely benefit most, and it would be advantageous for the Lakers to play him, even if only to increase his market value. However, it’s possible that the Lakers might give Bronny some early playing time to assess his capabilities. His rookie season wasn’t particularly impressive, but there were encouraging signs during Summer League. The Lakers aren’t structured for Bronny to play significant minutes when at full strength, but this could be an opportunity to evaluate his growth and determine if he warrants further opportunities later on. Without knowing his performance in camp and Smart’s availability, none of this is guaranteed. Either Nick Smith Jr. or Chris Manon, both two-way guards, could have made a strong impression and earned those early chances.
2. Who will take LeBron’s starting spot?
Prior to camp, it was reasonably certain that four Lakers would be in the starting lineup: James, Dončić, Reaves, and Ayton. The competition seemed to be between Smart and Hachimura, although Jarred Vanderbilt also had a possibility. While Smart is the more renowned defender, his strengths lie in guarding larger players at this point in his career, which is less critical for the Lakers’ roster. Vanderbilt excels at defending guards. Although he’s a weaker offensive player, the Lakers can likely afford to sacrifice some scoring.
If Smart is fit enough to start on opening day, the straightforward solution might be to start both him and Hachimura. Then, once James returns, the Lakers could use the insights from their initial games to make a well-informed, long-term decision. However, if there are concerns about Smart guarding quick guards, it might be worthwhile to give Vanderbilt an extended look now. Hachimura’s shooting is probably essential for the offense in James’s absence, making this a matter of defensive style preference. Moreover, if the Lakers were considering bringing Smart off the bench, maintaining role consistency for a more experienced player could be beneficial.
3. Seize Luka’s MVP odds
By now, you’re probably aware of the buzz: Luka Dončić is in peak condition and ready to demonstrate that Dallas was mistaken to trade him. This was the case even before James’s injury, but what’s changed is Dončić’s immediate statistical potential. The Lakers have an abundance of ball-handling talent. Even if Dončić has his best season, it might not be reflected statistically because he’ll likely have less ball time alongside James and Reaves compared to his time in Dallas. If you were seeking a reason to question his MVP chances, that was it.
Although James is expected to return relatively early in the season, narratives develop swiftly. If Dončić starts strong with 30-point triple-doubles, leading a depleted Lakers team, it will attract significant attention. Even if he doesn’t sustain that level of performance after James’s return, narratives play a role in MVP races. He now has an opportunity to gain an early advantage with the league watching. Dončić’s MVP odds are longer than those of Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the previous two winners. The most favorable odds, as of Thursday evening, were +400 at Bet365. Whether those odds are justified is debatable, but Dončić’s chances of making a compelling MVP case are slightly improved today compared to yesterday.
