After quite the wait, fans of the Los Angeles Lakers will maybe see LeBron James make his season debut versus the Utah Jazz soon.
A sciatica injury has sidelined James for the team’s opening 14 games of the campaign, but according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the 40-year-old is aiming to make his return to the lineup on Tuesday.
BREAKING: LeBron James is aiming to make his season debut tonight against the Utah Jazz, per @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/XQTc9BwnLD
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 18, 2025
Assuming James will in fact play his first game of the season, here are five bold predictions regarding how his debut will shake out.
1. He finishes the game with zero dunks
James’ athleticism has long been one of his defining qualities as a basketball player, and over the years, he’s put together countless highlight dunks. But with James being 40 years old and coming off an injury, Lakers fans won’t see his hops on display on Tuesday.
Not only will he not put any members of the Jazz on a poster, but he won’t so much as register one slam dunk in the entire game. He will frankly look his age in terms of his inability to score the ball above the rim, and considering he’s defied Father Time for years now, that might come as a shock to fans. However, Father Time is ultimately undefeated, and James will play with noticeably less bounce on Tuesday and throughout his 23rd season.
2. He still scores 25 points, with most coming from the outside
While James won’t be dunking the ball early and often like fans are accustomed to seeing, he’ll still get his points. In fact, he’ll score 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field against Utah and be the Lakers’ second-leading scorer behind only guard Luka Doncic.
The lion’s share of his points will come from the perimeter in his first game back, and he’ll put together a masterclass in the midrange. James has long been a highly effective mid-range shooter, and he’ll show off his great touch with six made jumpers from that range.
He’ll have a great shooting game in terms of the 3-point shot as well. James has enjoyed a 3-point renaissance late in his career, as he’s shot 39.3 percent from deep in the last two seasons, and that efficiency will carry over into Tuesday. The 21-time All-Star will attempt six across the whole contest and knock down half of those looks.
3. He ends up as the Lakers’ leader in assists
Along with great displays of athleticism, precise playmaking has also been a staple of the James experience in the NBA. Fortunately for the forward, unlike athleticism, playmaking feel and vision aren’t traits that players historically lose as they age.
James will show that he hasn’t lost a step from a playmaking standpoint on Tuesday with his assist total. He’ll be dicing up Utah’s defense left and right throughout the contest, and by the time the final buzzer sounds, he will have 12 assists to his name.
The conservative nature with which the four-time NBA champion values the Lakers’ possessions will only add to the impressiveness of his performance. He will rack up not even a single turnover, and a lot of people will react to his showing with the opinion that James should run the offense in crunch time.
4. He leaves a lot to be desired with his play guarding Lauri Markkanen
There was a time earlier in his career when James was legitimately one of the best defenders at the forward spot in the NBA, but those days seem to be long behind him. The last time he finished in the top 10 for the Defensive Player of the Year award was the 2016-17 season, and Markkanen is going to drop a lot of points on his head.
James is going to spend much of his time on the floor on defense getting beaten off the dribble by Markkanen, and he will look a step slow in his debut. The four-time league MVP will have no answer for the Finnish forward, who will finish the game with 32 points. James’ showing on the less glamorous side of the ball on Tuesday will only further back up the sentiment that he’s no longer adept enough to guard the other team’s best player.
5. James helps the Lakers to a win, but the game is closer than anticipated
At first glance and on paper, Tuesday should be an easy win for the Lakers, especially if James is returning. It is true that Utah has just a 5-8 record, but with Markkanen playing the best basketball of his career and guard Keyonte George enjoying a breakout season, the game will be closer than anticipated.
Markkanen and George will account for 50 points between the two of them, and their combined scoring punch will keep Utah in the game in the final minutes. It will take a huge 3-pointer from Doncic and assisted by James to put the Lakers up by five with less than a minute to go to seal the game. The contest will be more tightly-contested than Lakers fans are hoping for, but Los Angeles will still ultimately pick up its third win in a row.