Barring any setbacks, star forward LeBron James is on track to make his season debut with the Los Angeles Lakers sooner rather than later.
The 40-year-old has been sidelined for every one of the team’s 14 games thus far with a sciatica injury, but he took a major step forward in his recovery process earlier this week by practicing with the Lakers’ G League squad. Now, he’s ready to practice with the NBA squad on Monday and is nearing his season debut.
BREAKING: LeBron James will be a full participant at Monday's practice with the Lakers and is nearing his debut, per @ShamsCharania 👀 pic.twitter.com/PdDJpTMqhd
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 16, 2025
With James’ return to the lineup imminent, we are going to make five predictions for how his record-setting 23rd season in the NBA will pan out.
1. LeBron will continue to stuff the stat sheet like few others can
Father Time is undefeated, but it ultimately won’t stop James from putting together the best age-41 season of any NBA player in the history of the league from a statistical standpoint.
The league’s oldest active player has had a unique knack for contributing up and down the stat sheet his whole career, and he will continue to stuff the stat sheet until he retires. James will average 22.8 points, 6.5 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game in his 23rd NBA campaign and be the Lakers’ second-best player.
That means Lakers fans should expect to see plenty more triple-doubles and all-around showings from James this season.
2. He will make a statement in his season debut
The prediction here is that James will opt to make his season debut against the Utah Jazz a week from now on Nov. 23, and with so many people questioning how much he still has left in the tank, he will go out and have a statement performance in his debut.
With all eyes on him, James will go off for 36 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists against a subpar Jazz squad. He’ll prove to folks that he remains one of the premier all-around players in the league despite his advanced age and can be the best player on the court on any given night.
Not only will James be at the top of his game in his debut, but he’ll help the Lakers to a wire-to-wire victory. They’ll win by more than 20 points, and the final outcome will be decided well before the final buzzer sounds.
3. But…he’ll also show signs of decline throughout the season
James will play at a very high level upon making his return, but that doesn’t mean he won’t leave fans wanting more some nights. He’s got so many miles on his body with how long he’s played in the NBA, and he will show his age at points throughout the long season.
Whether he misses a dunk that he would normally throw down with ease or is unable to get much airtime when skying for a chase-down block, he’s going to show his mortality more often than we’re used to. He’ll finish with a career-low in dunks and rely heavily on his outside shot to score his points.
Simply put, with his 41st birthday not that far off, James will look his age at times and won’t put together as many highlight plays as fans are accustomed to seeing from him.
4. James’ double-digit scoring streak will not survive the season
Among all of James’ accolades, an often overlooked achievement of his is that he holds the NBA record for the most consecutive regular-season games with 10-plus points scored. The streak started all the way back in 2007 and is still going strong at over 1,300 games in a row, but it will unfortunately end at some point in his 23rd season.
All good things come to an end, and with James showing signs of decline coupled with all the scoring punch the Lakers have with their starting backcourt, he’ll finish with single digits in points not only once but multiple times throughout the campaign.
The streak could end during a game in which James goes cold from the field, perhaps has to exit early with an injury or simply gets clamped up by a tough opposing defense.
5. This will be his last season as a Laker
The elephant in the room is that beyond this season, James’ future with the Lakers is extremely murky. He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026, and thus, this season will mark the swan song of his stint in Los Angeles.
The prediction here is that James’ time in Los Angeles will be over following the 2025-26 campaign, but his NBA career won’t be. He’ll join the Golden State Warriors — who already employ some of the best veteran players in the league such as Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler — and try for a fifth championship for one final time in the 2026-27 campaign.
After one season in Golden State, he’ll retire from the league as arguably the greatest basketball player ever.