The NBA preseason is well underway, with all eyes on the Los Angeles Lakers. JJ Redick’s side is expected to be among the favorites this season. However, it’s safe to say they’ve not started the preseason in true contenders’ fashion. The Purple & Gold have looked lackluster and suffered back-to-back defeats against Phoenix and Golden State. While these losses might not seem much on the surface, given that they are just from exhibition games, it might be an indication of what’s to come for LA.

With the regular season just a couple of weeks away, the preseason presents teams with an opportunity to get warmed up before the actual competition. As expected, most of the teams use these fixtures to get any of the rust their stars might’ve picked up during the long offseason. However, that’s not the case with the Lakers. JJ Redick hasn’t fielded either of his superstars, LeBron James and Luka Doncic. In fact, even Austin Reaves sat out Sunday’s matchup against the Warriors.

Of course, the Lakers’ head coach’s behaviour has raised a few eyebrows. Lakers Insider Anthony Irwin can’t seem to wrap his head around Redick’s unusual tactics for the preseason. Although he acknowledged the reason behind LeBron James’ absence, he went down on the rest of the decisions made by the LA coaching staff. “Well, come on, man. We’re with Luka; he’s entering his prime. He played a few games over the summer weeks ago. He can practice, you know,” Irwin said.

“Like it’s, Austin Reaves, like— it’s also not as if this team is coming off some crazy playoff run last year. Y’all got your a– kicked in the first round. That’s why somebody asked me, like we, you know, have you ever seen a great Lakers team be this flippant over the training camp? And I was like, not a team that got embarrassed in the first round.”

Well, the reporter does have a point. It’s not like the players are coming off a short offseason; if anything, they got extra time to recover after being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.

Although you could argue that Luka Doncic had a grueling summer, with him participating in the FIBA EuroBasket representing Slovenia, even he can clock in 10-15 minutes.

Irwin concluded by a simple question, “But if you’re sitting here, a week into training camp, and the only thing that appears to matter is health and recovery, after a really long offseason. Then what are we doing, like, honestly?”

It seems like the Purple & Gold is taking the preseason pretty lightly. While it would’ve been one thing if they were coming off a deep playoff run and had a proven roster, that’s not what we’re looking at right now, are we? This should be a reason for concern for the Lakers Nation, who are hoping this will finally be their year.

Now, will these questions prompt JJ Redick to change his ways for the upcoming preseason games? That’s something only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure, if the Lakers do lose their next preseason game against the Warriors once again, it will not look good for LA.

More so, given that Redick won’t have any more excuses to hide his questionable decision-making. Meanwhile, the Purple & Gold have suffered another massive blow in the preseason with a huge LeBron James update.

The Lakers receive a grim LeBron James injury update

The Los Angeles Lakers fans have been eager to see LeBron James take the court during the preseason as he enters his 23rd year in the NBA. However, they will have to wait a bit longer.

This comes after ESPN Insider Shams Charania gave a massive update on the 40-year-old forward’s health. While JJ Redick already confirmed that James was absent due to a glute injury, no one expected it to be a serious one. But Charania’s report has changed that.

“I’m told LeBron James has started to ramp up here,” he said. “He’s doing a little bit on the court. But I’m told the expectation is still he’s likely gonna be out for the preseason, the goal being to be ready for opening night against the Golden State Warriors. He’s doing more and more on the court, starting to do more basketball activities, but we’ll see if he’s ready to get a game in before the regular season.”

Well, this shouldn’t be much of a surprise given James’ age.

The 21-time All-Star’s presence in the league, given his age, is quite commendable, let alone his competing at the level he does. So, instead of ramping up, James ideally should not be worrying about getting minutes in the preseason and focus on getting ready for the opening night.

Still, it’s a bummer for the Lakers, who look like in dire need of his help even in the preseason. Now, it will be worth watching if this issue is just a small one or something big, as the new season edges closer.