LeBron James Injury Timeline Rumors Mean Lakers Must Fix Chemistry Fast

Los Angeles Lakers lost their first game 119-109 to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Even though the score may not have been as close as it appears, one of L.A.’s top players was sitting on the bench. LeBron missed his team’s first game for the first time ever in his NBA career. He’s been out with Sciatica and it’s unknown when he will be back. Devon Henderson from The Athletic reports that JJ. Redick, the coach of The Athletic’s team, said: “He has his timeline.” Shams Chaania, ESPN NBA Insider, said on The Pat McAfee Show, that James’ debut is not expected until “mid-November or so”.Charania said that James’ injury occurred first in late July or early august, meaning the 40-year old didn’t follow his usual preseason routine. He may not be ready for his usual high-volume workload when he returns. The Lakers will have to deal with a lack of James’s presence for a few months in 2025-2026. It’s important that L.A. has James back in top form for the postseason and late season. But this is still a problem. The Lakers we saw on Wednesday looked like a team that might struggle to stay competitive in the West if James isn’t there. Luka Dončić was offensively fantastic, and Austin Reaves complemented him well. But the Lakers lacked a good chemistry. Rui Haichimura, a forward from the Lakers, said that their team simply hadn’t been able to put in enough practice to compete with a Golden State-like squad. “We are still trying to find our rhythm. We had a lot of practices, but also in the game…especially against the Golden State, they’ve been playing together for probably four or five years. Edwin Garcia, Silver Screen and Roll reports that Hachimura believes this was the difference. This lack of chemistry became most evident in the third quarter when the Warriors had a 17-4 run. Of course, the Lakers have always struggled in third quarters. Redick, according to Garcia, said: “The trend I’m seeing is that we are a terrible team in the third quarter.” “That was preseason last year. It’s time to rethink things.A lack of familiarity may not be the sole cause for L.A.’s struggles after halftime, but a better rapport would certainly help. Redick would benefit from finding ways to involve Deandre Ayton more effectively throughout the game. He played 34 minutes for Golden State, and often seemed to be more a liability than a asset. Ayton shot a respectable 5 of 7 but only had one block and four defensive rebound on the opposing team. Reaves says that Ayton’s lack of chemistry and chemistry with his teammates led to him missing some offensive opportunities. Reaves, according to Corey Hansford at LakersNation.com, said that he made five mistakes. “…a number of those were miscommunications as to where I was supposed to pass the ball to DA. It wasn’t that the read was wrong. Basically, it was a bad pass made at the right moment.The good news is the Lakers will start to play better as a team as the season progresses. The Lakers must improve their chemistry as soon as possible, otherwise they risk falling into a huge hole before James returns. Minnesota Timberwolves are the opponents on Friday. They reached the Western Conference Finals in last season. L.A. went 56-79 in the years since James joined the Lakers. Obviously, the presence of Dončić gives the Lakers a more potent LeBron-less roster than it has had in previous years. Los Angeles will have to play as a unit more if they want to win consistently even without James. The Lakers have to do this. The Lakers can’t afford, this year, to spend the majority of their season trying to overcome an early deficit.
2025-10-23 16:00:06