LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday that LeBron James will miss the start of the regular season due to sciatica on his right side. The 40-year-old forward will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks, the team said.
James, entering his 23rd NBA season and eighth with the Lakers, had been limited in training camp and has yet to appear in the team’s preseason games as the team has carefully monitored his workload.
His absence will be a significant blow to L.A.'s goal of building chemistry as a unit, an aspect that has been an issue throughout the preseason. Head coach JJ Redick has emphasized that the lack of full availability from the team has been an issue in building their cohesiveness throughout training camp and the preseason.
Three to four weeks (Nov. 6) would be approximately nine games James would miss from the start of opening night against the Golden State Warriors to his re-evaluation date.
Once he's reassessed in that three-to-four-week timeline, that doesn't necessarily mean he'd be back in uniform. The re-evaluation depends on where he's at with his injury. He could either miss an extended time or be ready to go.
The Lakers will be without one of their top two stars, opening up an even bigger role for leading man Luka Dončić, who is set to have more attention and pressure to run the offense to start the season. Which we all know is something that isn't rare for him.