Why LeBron James' injury brings silver lining to Lakers' title push

Yesterday at 05:49 PM

When the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, the hope was that Luka Doncic would be able to get his team back on track in the aftermath of a 111-101 loss to the Boston Celtics and LeBron James suffering a groin injury. That did not happen. Doncic’s lackluster performance and the team’s lack of intensity led to an embarrassing 111-108 loss to the team with the fifth-worst record in the NBA.

Even at 40, LeBron’s presence is still vital to his team’s overall success. Aside from trading for Luka, the main reason why LA has such high championship aspirations is due to James having an MVP-like season in his 22nd year.

Without James on the court, the Lakers have posted a 3-2 record this season. However, this small sample size is misleading simply because Monday night marked the first game LeBron had missed since Doncic was added to the lineup.

The main reason James is so important to the Lakers alongside Doncic, other than obvious reasons, is because Anthony Davis is no longer around. As good as Jaxson Hayes has been in recent games, it is no secret that Los Angeles lacks size and frontcourt intensity. That is just one of the many ways LeBron contributes to the Lakers’ success, especially since he was averaging 10.9 rebounds per game since the All-Star break.

Now that LeBron is out for the time being with his groin injury, Los Angeles has a chance to learn a lot about themselves.

While a loss in Brooklyn is not what JJ Redick and his team envisioned, it was a necessary reality check for the Lakers, who had won eight straight games before their loss in Boston. Due to all the attention cast on them around the league and from the media, perhaps the Lakers’ heads were growing a bit too large.

All of the recent success Los Angeles found resulted in them momentarily holding the 2-seed in the Western Conference playoff picture over the likes of the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies. Back-to-back losses has resulted in the Lakers falling one game back of the Nuggets for this spot and tied with the Grizzlies for the 3-seed.

If the Lakers were to fall to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, they would potentially fall back to the 4-seed in the West and find themselves with a three-game losing streak for the first time since mid-January.

Even if this were to happen, there is still no reason for the Lakers to panic.

Doncic and the Lakers face multiple obstacles between needing to overcome a rough loss in Brooklyn and not having LeBron to lean on when things go bad. James needs to be on the court come playoff time for this organization to have a shot at another championship. But for the time being, his absence provides opportunities for the Lakers to learn more about themselves.

When looking at the playoff picture, James’ injury could also result in Los Angeles finding themselves with a better-suited path to a potential championship.

Lakers get a glimpse at Luka Doncic-led era

As LeBron watches the Lakers from the sidelines, Rob Pelinka and his front office get a glimpse at what the future will look like.

Doncic is a generational talent. He alone puts the Lakers in title-contending status for the next decade. Much like how the Dallas Mavericks made the NBA Finals in his sixth season, Doncic will take Los Angeles to the NBA Finals at least once over the next several seasons.

Over the next several games without LeBron, Pelinka and the Lakers will get a glimpse at what else this team will need moving forward.

Regardless of how the season ends and how deep of a playoff run they make, Los Angeles will be aggressive in free agency and on the trade market to capitalize on their rare pairing of Luka and LeBron. This is an opportunity for those on the roster to not only emerge and prove their worth ahead of the playoffs but for the Lakers’ future plans.

This is also a time for Pelinka to make early decisions as to how his roster will look moving forward.

Outside of the Lakers looking ahead, James’ absence provides Doncic with a clear opportunity to prove that he can be the leader of this franchise and that the Mavs were wrong for giving up on him.

When the Lakers lost to the Nets, Redick was fuming over his team’s effort and will to win. After this game, Doncic heard his coach’s words and took full responsibility for Redick claiming that the team wanted to take “shortcuts.”

His response was simple, “That’s my fault.”

Doncic has played only 12 games in a Lakers uniform, yet he understands his role and position within the franchise next to James. These two superstars are equally valuable to the team’s title aspirations, and his leadership will be needed with LeBron injured.

Much of the Lakers’ recent success has been built on the defensive side of the floor. Over the last 10 games, Los Angeles has held their opponents under 110 points seven times. They are 7-0 in such games.

Then there are the three games the Lakers allowed at least 110 points to their opponents. They are 1-2 in such games during this span.

Intensity. Effort. Fight. Mentally tough.

All of these traits are what Redick expects from his team, and Doncic’s leadership can help instill these principles for the Lakers without James.

Who do Lakers want in playoffs?

When LeBron will return to the court remains a mystery for the Lakers. Initially, it was reported that James would miss at least 1-to-2 weeks with this injury, but it is expected that Los Angeles will keep him out slightly longer in order to be ready for the playoffs.

Rich Paul, James’ agent and long-time friend, recently shed some light on the star’s status and when he could possibly be back.

“He knows his body better than anybody. So we kind of have to follow him there,” Paul stated during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “But look, he's played a lot of basketball. All of these guys, coming off the Olympics, they're playing across our league. So there's been a lot of basketball played. For the older guys that have this type of injury, you have to manage it properly.

“I won't put a timetable on it, I'll let LeBron decide what's to be done there. He has a great trainer and medical staff with the Lakers.”

The Lakers do not have an easy schedule, which makes James’ injury even more significant. After playing the Bucks on Thursday, Los Angeles will play a second game in as many nights on Friday against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. These two games are part of a five-game stretch in seven days for the Lakers.

Over the final 19 games of the season, Los Angeles will play 12 games against teams with a .500 or better record. The Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic are two other playoff-caliber teams with losing records in need of big wins that the Lakers will have to navigate.

While Lakers fans may look at their upcoming schedule and be concerned since James is injured, especially since they have already fallen out of the 2-seed in the West, this may be in the best interest of the franchise.

Height and length are problems for the Lakers. Most of their losses this season have come against teams that can attack the paint and outrebound them. Several teams would create a lot of mismatches for the Lakers come time for the playoffs, which is why moving down in the standings presents better overall playoff paths for this team.

If the season ended right now, the Lakers would draw the Golden State Warriors in the first round. This is certainly not a matchup the Lakers want despite being 3-0 against Stephen Curry this season. Navigating a series against Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and a new, re-energized Warriors roster is not something James, Doncic, and the Lakers would want early in the playoffs.

There are also concerns about how the Lakers would match up with the Nuggets at full strength. Without AD around, Los Angeles doesn’t have a clear counter for Nikola Jokic at center. Not to mention, the Nuggets have defeated the Lakers in 14 of their last 18 matchups, including the playoffs, dating back to the 2022-23 season.

The idea of avoiding both Golden State and Denver to play teams like the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and/or Oklahoma City Thunder is certainly more appealing to an older, more experienced team like the Lakers.

Experience matters in the playoffs. The Lakers have plenty of guys with deep postseason knowledge, starting with their two stars.

Even though the Thunder, Grizzlies, and Rockets have been three of the best teams all season, their youth is a glaring weakness when matching up in the playoffs. Redick and the Lakers can look to exploit this, especially if they are to fall further in the standings without LeBron.

No matter what, the Western Conference playoffs will be a gauntlet. There will be no easy series, and any team making it out of the West will need to earn their victories.

Over the next couple of weeks without James, the Lakers will be able to identify their core strengths and weaknesses heading into the playoffs. This is invaluable knowledge that will provide the blueprints for a potential championship run.

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