To say that the Los Angeles Lakers were short-handed against the Portland Trail Blazers would be an understatement. It is because the Purple & Gold were playing without three of their leading scorers from last season. They were missing their infamous trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves for this game. So, if they were to come up short against an in-form Trail Blazers side, not many would’ve blamed them, but head coach JJ Redick did not wave the white flag just then.

On the contrary, the Lakers’ head coach issued a clear message to the rest of his roster, asking them to make this game personal. “We told the group before the game, like this is a personnel game. Similar to last night, it’s a personnel game. It’s not a how do I guard this action game. It’s how do I guard my guy? And I thought our our for the most part our attention to detail on that was really high,” Redick told the reporters postgame. And it seemed to work, as the LA emerged victorious against Portland, 123-115.

While Rui Hachimura and DeAndre Ayton led the lines for their team, scoring 28 and 29 points, respectively. It was shooting guard Nick Smith Jr. who emerged as the unlikely hero on the night, finishing the game with 25 points, 6 assists, and a single board. However, all of this would not have happened had JJ Redick not reminded one more thing to his players before tip-off. The second-year head coach instilled the will to win in his players, as he clear to them that the absence of Doncic or James doesn’t matter.

After the game, Redick confirmed the same during the presser. “Well, it’s not an easy thing to do, and it’s not something that you just can say and then a guy’s going to believe. I mean, it’s a really organic thing. And that’s why I think the things that we’ve preached from day one are so important. We recognize we need to be in great shape, but the communication and the habit piece when you when the group, can do that at a really high level every single night, you can you can win games when you’re without a few players,” he stated.

The Lakers’ head coach pointed out that even before the season tipped off, he made it clear that everyone has to be in great shape. This is something he has mentioned a few more times before, and it did ultimately pay off against the Trail Blazers. That’s because none of the Purple & Gold’s rotational players missed a beat on Monday night, as they improved their season record to 6-2. However, even though Los Angeles was able to muster up a win against Portland, they will need their trio back. So, what’s the update?

For how long are LeBron James and Co. sidelined for?

Well, there’s no doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers put up an impressive performance on Monday, but they’ll need their superstar back to keep up with the rest of the conference. So far, the Purple & Gold have been able to hold their ground without LeBron James, but they’ll need him on the court later down the road. So, when is the 40-year-old scheduled to return? Well, as things stand, the four-time NBA champion is out with a sciatica injury. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, we can expect James to return sometime during mid-November.

That’s great news to say the least for the Lakers Nation, as LeBron James’ return will certainly boost their title contention hopes. But what about Doncic and Reaves? Well, Austin Reaves missed Monday’s matchup due to soreness in his right groin, which, according to The Athletic’s Dan Woike, “is nothing too serious.” This indicates that we can expect the shooting guard to make a comeback as soon as LA’s next game against San Antonio.

The Lakers’ win over Portland proved that JJ Redick’s system runs deeper than star power. His focus on discipline and adaptability turned a depleted roster into a winning unit. But as LeBron, Luka, and Reaves prepare to return, the real test begins: whether this resilience can translate from a one-night statement to a season-long standard.