After a preseason where his absence was noticeable, news surfaced on Thursday that LeBron James would be out for a number of weeks due to sciatica, which is the surest sign yet of his old age.
His timeline of three to four weeks before being re-evaluated means he’s going to miss anywhere from six to nine games at a minimum and likely more than that as he’ll need to ramp up before returning.
While it’s a blow to the Lakers to not have a player who is All-NBA caliber, they are positioned to be able to absorb
this injury and, perhaps, come out better in the long run, depending on the length and severity of the injury.
But that requires a number of people stepping up in his absence in the coming weeks to establish themselves. Let’s take a look at who those players are and what they must do.
Luka Dončić
The first one is obvious, but Luka has to be MVP-level Luka to open the season. It’s a tall ask, but considering how well he played in EuroBasket a month ago, it’s not an unreasonable ask.
In some ways, having Luka available and LeBron out to start the year could be part of the biggest long-term gains. There won’t be any juggling of how to play with LeBron and Luka to start. Instead, they’re playing through Luka, something he is very comfortable doing.
This doesn’t mean LeBron will simply come back and play second fiddle to Luka, but it does further the transition of this being LeBron’s Lakers to unquestionably being Luka’s Lakers now.
Rui Hachimura
Rui’s present and future with the Lakers are both a bit cloudy. Coming into the season, there were plenty of questions as to whether he should even remain in the starting lineup. Now, there are far, far fewer questions about whether he should start.
This is all one big audition for the post-LeBron era and Rui makes a lot of sense on a Lakers team without LeBron. The front court rotation is a lot clearer and his role suits him a bit better. He’s playing more as a power forward than a small forward and can fit more naturally on both sides of the ball.
Now, he’ll need to produce in a contract year. If he plays well, then it’s easier to envision success in a post-LeBron world for the Lakers, which may lead to an extension. If he struggles, then the questions about his future in LA only grow.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia
In the domino effect of increased playing time with LeBron out, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia are the two forwards off the bench who will presumably see the most change.
They have different skill sets which means there could be plenty of time playing together, but both make sense to fill in some of the 35 minutes per game LeBron played last season.
With Vando, he could build off his (so far) impressive preseason with a strong start to the year that includes finding his form as a defender once more. He offers a skill set that the Lakers don’t have with point of attack defense and has flashed an improved offensive game.
With LaRavia, his value comes more on the offensive side of the ball. He’ll need to knock down open shots and be the connector most expect him to be. He hasn’t played that role yet in the preseason, so it’s hard to take that much away from the two exhibition games, but he’ll have opportunities to step up early this season.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
