Luka Doncic Steps Up, But Lakers Need LeBron James Back ASAP

Still waiting to start his record-breaking 23rd season in the NBA, there will be no rest for the weary when LeBron James eventually takes the court for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Currently out with sciatica in his right side, James is expected to make his season debut in November to lend a hand for a roster that does not appear to have the ability to go extended periods without its stars in action.

That notion was evident in the season opener Tuesday, when the Lakers were overwhelmed early in the second half by the Golden State Warriors and fell 119-109 despite 43 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists from Luka Doncic.

While Austin Reaves scored 26 points with nine assists, no other Lakers player scored more than 10. They did shoot 54.5% from the floor as a team, better than the Warriors’ 48.7% mark, but they were just 25.0 percent from 3-point range and a disturbing 60.7 percent from the free-throw line on 28 attempts.

If there was a notion that James might finally show some of his age this season, as he turns 41 on Dec. 30, Tuesday’s defeat showed that the Lakers might need all of the 24.7 points per game, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds that James delivered in 70 games last season.

After playing 141 regular season games over the past two seasons, James showed that his dedication to staying healthy was paying off after he averaged just under 56 games over the previous five seasons.

His current nerve issue in his back, and some days off in back-to-back situations, might put the 21-time All-Star back at that 56-game number this season.

Adding to the concern is that James isn’t the only injury worry among Lakers stars. Doncic, who played a career-low 50 games combined with the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks last season because of a calf injury, came out of the opener with his own nagging injury.

After the season opener, Doncic downplayed the severity of a right leg injury that appeared to crop up during the defeat. Doncic could be seen grabbing at his upper right leg late in the game.

That came after Doncic played 41 minutes, the most of anybody that took the floor for both teams.

Asking James to play heavy minutes at this point of his career would be a tall order. He managed to play 35 minutes per game last season when he finished sixth in MVP voting.

James is currently tied with Vince Carter for most seasons in NBA history at 22, with Carter playing a career-low 14.6 minutes per game in his final season of 2019-20 for the Atlanta Hawks.

Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki each played 21 seasons, with none of them able to average 16 minutes per game in their final campaign. That number won’t cut it for the Lakers, who would appear to need closer to double that from James this season.

Until Tuesday, James had never missed a season opener, and the fact that it happened now was an ominous sign.

“It’s a big change,” Doncic said of not playing with James. “He’s a great player. He can help us a lot. But at the end of the day, our mentality needs to be next-man up. We got a group of guys that have been practicing and hopefully LeBron can join us as soon as possible.”

Doncic will need to heed his own words. The Lakers need somebody to step into the void as best as they can. Getting Doncic to deliver double the production on a daily basis until James returns would seem less likely.

One game does not make a season, and a month without a player, even the one that is the caliber of James, does not spell doom. The Lakers know it first-hand.

Los Angeles was a pedestrian 13-12 on Dec. 13 last season and only slightly better at 22-18 following a loss to the cross-town Clippers on Jan. 19. But in the middle of a 12-2 run spanning Jan. 21 to Feb. 10, they acquired Doncic from the Mavericks.

They carried an eight-game winning streak into March and closed the season by going 7-4 to earn the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed in the playoffs. Even while falling in the first round, it was an impressive showing for a team with a new coach in JJ Redick and a significant roster change.

“The more and more time that we’re together, the better we’re going to be,” James said, way back at media day this season as training camp began. It was the last time he spoke publicly.

That sentiment still rings true as James works his way back from injury.