LeBron James sitting out preseason action was originally viewed as a precautionary move and not real cause for concern. That all changed with one breaking news report.
Shams Charania posted on Twitter/X, "Lakers star LeBron James is sidelined for at least 3 to 4 weeks due to sciatica on his right side. He is out for the start of the 2025-26 NBA season."
This new update comes only a couple of days after it had been revealed that James was set to miss the entire preseason. James had been dealing with what was being called nerve damage in the glute up until that point. Sciatica is a touch more serious than the initial prognosis.
With James' injury pushing his absence past the beginning of the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers should have a clear plan of attack in how to combat his absence. They should start both Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart, allowing them to use the unfortunate circumstances as an opportunity to answer one of the biggest questions from the lead-up to the season.
LeBron’s injury might finally answer the Lakers’ biggest lineup question
It would be unsurprising to see Smart in the starting lineup now, even without the goal of answering the question of who the full-time fifth starter should be. Without James, the Lakers need the extra ball handling in the first five, and their new guard offers them that much.
Smart, himself, has been working his way back from injury during the preseason. The former Defensive Player of the Year has been on the mend from an Achilles tendinopathy.
Jovan Buha reported Smart plans to play in the preseason, but the timeline for when his debut will come remains unclear. The positive piece of injury news from the Lakers today would be the fact that the Lakers guard was a full participant in practice.
Assuming that Smart is ready for the start of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, the Lakers can get a proper look at how their new arrival operates playing alongside Luka Doncic. If the early results are good, they can feel comfortable leaving him in there once James returns.
If that formula does not prove to be as strong as the hypothetical, and Hachimura continues to prove his chemistry with Doncic, the Lakers will have an equally easy decision to make. Either way, the unfortunate fallout of James being injured will offer JJ Redick some sort of silver lining.