Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick has openly acknowledged the significant challenge of starting the season without his top players. The team confirmed that LeBron James will miss three to four weeks with sciatica in his right side, an injury that first occurred during a workout in late July. This means James will miss the first opening night of his 22-year career.

Redick did not hide the difficulty of preparing his team under these circumstances. In a recent radio interview, he pointed to the absence of his main stars as a major hurdle. “It’s hard when your two best players are not on the floor,” Redick stated, also noting that guard Austin Reaves had missed a preseason game. This situation has complicated the team’s efforts to build chemistry and define roles with just 15 days until their first regular-season game.

With James sidelined, Redick is placing increased responsibility on new center Deandre Ayton. The coach outlined a crucial role for the big man on both ends of the court. “I think it’s important for him to touch the basketball because we’re going to ask a lot of him as a screener and a rim runner and the anchor of our defense,” Redick explained. He emphasized that Ayton’s ability to punish smaller defenders in the post is a new weapon the Lakers lacked last season.

Ayton himself confirmed that the process of building on-court chemistry has been delayed. When asked about working with James and Luka Doncic, he told reporters, “I haven’t. Something I’ve just been waiting on.” Coach Redick later clarified that while Ayton has practiced a few times with Doncic, no one on the team has shared the floor with LeBron James during this training camp.

The injury to James, who averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists last season, forces the Lakers to lean heavily on Doncic and Ayton earlier than planned. Ayton, who signed a two-year, $16.6 million deal, has averaged a double-double in each of his seven NBA seasons. Redick’s immediate hope is that Ayton’s presence as a rim runner and defensive anchor can help stabilize the team during this uncertain opening stretch.

LeBron’s injury update makes

LeBron James will not play in the team’s season opener, breaking his personal streak of 22 consecutive opening night appearances. The Lakers are scheduled to host the Golden State Warriors on October 21st to start the regular season.

NBA insider Shams Charania provided a detailed update on the situation. Charania revealed the origin of the nerve issue, stating, “Malika, my understanding is this injury for LeBron, this nerve issue, first developed, first occurred in late July, early August during an on-court workout.”

Charania further explained that James has been managing this problem for an extended period. “So it’s now two and a half months and counting that he’s had to deal with it and manage it,” he said. The insider noted that James had limited basketball activity long before the Lakers’ media day on September 29th, impacting his usual offseason routine.

This cautious approach by both the player and the organization highlights the severity of the situation. Charania emphasized, “So for him to be out to start the season and miss his first ever opening night, it shows an admission by him and the Lakers that he needs more time to ramp up, get into basketball shape, get into the right basketball conditioning that he is accustomed to. He’s not there yet.” This update comes as James enters his record 23rd NBA season.