Lakers’ LeBron James Out At Least 3-4 Weeks With Sciatica

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will miss at least three to four weeks after developing sciatica on his right side.

Incredibly, this will mark the first time in James’ 23 year career that he will miss the opening night of the season. The Lakers are scheduled to host the Golden State Warriors.

James played 70 games last season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and a steal. He shot 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three. At age 40, he made the All-NBA Second Team.

The Lakers will be hard pressed to be great without James, even with Luka Doncic having transformed his body. There will be even more pressure now on the likes of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart to perform.

Earlier in the offseason, James’ agent Rich Paul appeared to indicate his player would prefer being moved to a legitimate contender. Nothing came of the comments and James will be in a Lakers uniform this season.

There has been some speculation that this may be James’ final season. That was fueled by James himself with a social media post about a ‘Second Decision.’ Ultimately, it was just an advertisement endorsing the liquor brand Hennessy.

Are The Lakers In Trouble If James Is Unhealthy?

A lineup that features a top two of Doncic and Austin Reaves is not nearly as intimidating.

Sciatica is the type of issue that could linger and so there’s reason to think this injury is an ominous sign for the Lakers.

As things stand, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the class of the West. The Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors have strengthened, as have the Los Angeles Clippers.

Then there’s the Houston Rockets who will still be very good without Fred VanVleet.

Any time wasted in the West can be costly down the line and the longer the Lakers have to make do without James, the deeper the likely hole they will have to dig out of.

What does Smart have to offer in the back half of his career? Ayton is facing a pivotal moment in his career as far as being viewed as a winner is concerned.

Doncic could be headed for a monster season having to do even more without James. While we know he can handle the load, Reaves having to move up a peg will be a big test.

Other players like Jake LaRavia and Rui Hachimura will also look to make the most of increased opportunity.