The Los Angeles Lakers have kicked off training camp and played two preseason games, although a number of key players have been out.
Luka Doncic hasn’t played yet in order to keep him fresh after playing in EuroBasket over the summer, while the same can be said for LeBron James as he enters his 23rd season.
Meanwhile, Maxi Kleber suffered a minor quad injury during the team’s first practice and Marcus Smart is another player they have been cautious with due to Achilles tendinopathy. Rookie Adou Thiero has also not yet stepped on the court due to the knee injury that kept him out of Summer League as well.
All of those players will hopefully see game action at some point this preseason, although James may be an exception. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, LeBron will most likely miss the whole preseason:
“I’m told LeBron James has started to ramp up here, he’s doing a little bit on the court. But I’m told the expectation is still that he’s likely gonna be out for the preseason. The goal being to be ready for Opening Night on Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors. So he’s doing more on the court, starting to do more basketball activities, but we’ll see if he’s able to get a game in before the regular season.”
The Lakers have essentially a full week of practices before their final four preseason games next week. At some point the hope was to get all of the key players in the lineup for a dress rehearsal before Opening Night, but if James isn’t suiting up then that won’t be possible.
As LeBron nears his 41st birthday though, there isn’t a reason to risk injury by playing in the preseason. He’s done and seen everything in his career, so he knows what it takes to get his body prepared and will hopefully be ready when the Lakers open up the season against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.
LeBron James discusses key to success for Lakers
With the start of the 2025-26 season just around the corner, LeBron James discussed his key to success for the Lakers.
“That we’re detailed every day. We have to be detailed. And the Western Conference is a gauntlet. The league is tough, and we have to be detailed on everything, on all facets of the game, both offensively and defensively. We have to hold each other accountable, and we got to play championship basketball every single day. And does that [always] result in wins? No. I mean, this is a win-loss league; you’re not going to win games even when you play well. And it’s sometimes when you don’t play well and you still win. That’s all a part of the game.
“But we got to pay attention to the details, and I think we will do that.”
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