EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — While LeBron James is expected to miss the new season as he recovers from sciatica pain in his right side, fellow Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic said he doesn't feel the need to do much more in James' absence.
“I don't think so,” Doncic said after Saturday's practice. “I just want to play basketball. If I do less, if I do more, I can win no matter what it takes.”
So far, the Lakers are winless in the preseason without James and Doncic, going 0-2 against the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles will face the Golden State Warriors in a preseason rematch on Sunday, and Lakers coach JJ Redick said Doncic's participation in the game is still being determined.
The Lakers will begin three preseason games in four days on Sunday, continue on the road against Phoenix on Tuesday and play the second game of a back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Redick said Doncic will play in two of Los Angeles' four remaining preseason games.
Editor's Picks
2 related
Doncic was a full participant on Saturday after adjusting his workload throughout the week to ease the wear and tear on the 26-year-old guard, who competed in the EuroBasket tournament for Slovenia on Saturday.
“I have [the] national team,” Doncic explained. “Playing basketball for about a month [for Slovenia]. Obviously, it's a long season ahead, so that's why. “
Now, Redick has a heavy workload as he tries to fill James' void, which will be out for the next three to four weeks before his sciatica pain is re-evaluated.
“You hope he comes back soon,” Redick said. “These things can be tricky…it's unclear what the starting lineup is going to be, that's the reality until he comes back. We've got to figure that out.”
Doncic, guard Austin Reaves and center DeAndre Ayton will occupy three of the five spots.
Redick will consider the other two starting spots, with Rui Hachimura starting 57 of the 59 games he played for Los Angeles last season, an obvious consideration. Jarred Vanderbilt has started two preseason games so far and is the healthiest he's been since the Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals in 2023, and free agent signees Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart give the team different offensive and defensive options.
Redick said Smart, who also missed the preseason with Achilles tendinopathy, will play against the Warriors.
Redick said he has considered establishing a lineup and rotation that works best when James is on the floor and a separate lineup and rotation when James is not on the floor.
Doncic said he and James “talked a lot” while observing Lakers practices from the sideline during training camp, which helped with chemistry.
For now, all Doncic and the Lakers can do in the game is the 40-year-old's voice coming off 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 needs to be 'the next guy.' We have a group of guys that have been training and hopefully LeBron will join us soon.” We obviously need him. But our mindset has to be “next.” That's it. “