EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – With LeBron James expected to be sidelined to start the season as he recovers from sciatica on the right side of his body, the Los Angeles Lakers’ other superstar Luka Doncic said he doesn’t feel pressured to do more in James’ absence.
“I don’t see it that way,” Doncic said after practice Saturday. “I just want to play basketball. If I do less, if I do more, whatever it takes for me to win.”
So far without James and Doncic, the Lakers are winless in the preseason, going 0-2 against the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles hosts Golden State in a preseason rematch on Sunday, and Lakers coach JJ Redick said it’s still being determined whether Doncic will play.
Sunday begins a stretch of three preseason games in four days for the Lakers, continuing with a road game against Phoenix on Tuesday and the second straight night against the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Redick said Doncic would play in two of Los Angeles’ four remaining preseason games.
Doncic was a full participant on Saturday after altering his workload all week to spare the 26-year-old guard some wear and tear after playing for Slovenia at EuroBasket this summer.
“I had [the] national team,” Doncic explained. “Play a month or something of basketball [for Slovenia]. Obviously it’s a long season, so it’s just because of that.”
Now, Redick has his work cut out for him trying to replace James while he is out for the next three to four weeks before his sciatica is re-evaluated.
“You hope he comes back soon,” Redick said. “These things can be tricky… We don’t know exactly what the starting lineup will be, that’s the reality, until he returns. We’ll have to find a solution.”
Doncic, guard Austin Reaves and center Deandre Ayton will fill three of the five spots.
Those are the other two starting spots Redick will look at, with Rui Hachimura starting 57 of the 59 games he played for Los Angeles last season, under obvious consideration. Jarred Vanderbilt, who has started both preseason games so far and is healthier since the Lakers’ 2023 trip to the Western Conference Finals, and free agents Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart give the team different options offensively and defensively.
Smart, who was also sidelined early in the preseason due to Achilles tendinopathy, will play against the Warriors, according to Redick.
Redick said he thought about having one lineup and rotation that fits best when James plays and another when he doesn’t.
Doncic said he and James talked “a lot” while observing Lakers practice from the sidelines during training camp, which helped with chemistry.
For now, all Doncic and the Lakers will get out of James during games is what the 40-year-old can provide with his voice from the bench.
“It’s a big change,” Doncic said of having to play without James. “He’s a great player. He can help us a lot. But at the end of the day, our mentality has to be ‘next man up’. We have a group of guys training and I hope LeBron can join us as soon as possible. We’re obviously going to need him. But our mentality has to be ‘next man up’. That’s it.”
