Lakers’ Luka Doncic reacts to LeBron James’ Injury
The Los Angeles Lakers are set to begin the 2025-26 season without LeBron James, as he recovers from sciatica affecting the right side of his body.
It immediately puts added pressure on star Luka Doncic to guide the team forward in James’ absence, which is something that he is ready to do.
“I don’t view it that way,” Doncic said after practice Saturday via ESPN. “I just want to play basketball. If I do less, if I do more, whatever it takes for me to get a win.”
Doncic isn’t a stranger to a significant workload, as he has been the primary ball handler and scoring option for his team for the last several seasons. He’s proven to be one of the league’s best players behind his scoring prowess and playmaking as a passer.
The 26-year-old has also worked himself into better physical shape and conditioning over the offseason, which should enable him to provide more production and efficient performance.
Meanwhile, the Lakers roster should have more versatility behind him with their offseason additions of Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, and Marcus Smart. Austin Reaves will step into the secondary scoring role, as he has already shown he can be an effective offensive factor alongside Doncic.
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James’ absence will put head coach JJ Redick in a tougher bind trying to figure out lineup combinations.
“You hope that he’s back soon,” Redick said. “Those things can be tricky. … It is unclear what the starting lineup is going to be, that’s the reality, until he is back. We’ll have to figure that out.”
