The Los Angeles Lakers had to start the 2025-26 season without LeBron James, who is dealing with a sciatica on his right side.
James starting experiencing issues during an offseason workout and did not participate in training camp or preseason.
Los Angeles has managed to stay afloat without James, though the schedule will get harder in the coming months. Getting James back sooner than later would go a long way in ensuring the Lakers don’t slip down the standings.
Prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, head coach JJ Redick said he was hopeful James could return in the middle of November, via Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group:
“We’re probably somewhere right around that timeline to hopefully get him back in the lineup,” Redick said. “But obviously, this thing has to continue to progress with all of his return-to-play protocols. We don’t have like a target date. It’s just somewhere in that general timeline. We hope that he’s kind of checked all the boxes and is going to be back sometime in that second or third week in November.”
James’ rehab has reportedly been moving in the right direction and Redick’s timeline fits a previous update that a mid-November return was most likely. Los Angeles currently owns a 3-2 record after a thrilling win against Minnesota, but the team could still use James on both ends of the floor.
Doncic is slated to return within the coming week, so the Lakers will be at full strength once James is cleared to play. Because he’s in Year 23, L.A. is understandably being cautious with the superstar and that should hopefully pay dividends toward the end of the regular season.
Austin Reaves has managed to soak up all the playmaking and scoring duties with Doncic and James out and there’s optimism that the Lakers offense can hit even higher heights once all three share the floor. Defensively, the team has made strides but their offense is what will carry them to wins most nights.
If James can indeed come back in November and hit the ground running, the purple and gold could be a team to watch out for.
LeBron James reveals teams and players he’ll be watching on NBA League Pass
LeBron James still some weeks to go before he is cleared, so he’ll be like a lot of basketball fans catching games on NBA League Pass. James revealed he’d be checking in on fellow stars like Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic. He also mentioned wanting to check out teams like the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz.
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