What will be the impact of James recuperating for 3-4 weeks? Doncic controls the Lakers and rushes for MVP, Reeves may break out early

On October 10, before the season even started, the Lakers suffered an injury attack. James would miss 3-4 weeks due to sciatica. This means he will miss the opening game and part of the early season. Moreover, this kind of injury is difficult to fully recover at once, and may continue to accompany James for a relatively long time. James' show partner Nash has been troubled by this injury for a long time. It's time for the Lakers to completely hand over the core of the team's tactics to Doncic. The Purple and Gold will face a big test at the beginning of the season. However, both Doncic and Reeves are expected to explode when James is absent.

James missed the opening game of the regular season for the first time in his career. He had played 22 consecutive games before. In the previous 22 opening games, he averaged 25.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Injuries are still catching up with James, the evergreen basketball player, and this kind of injury may deepen James' thoughts of retiring.

Medical expert Jeff Stotts analyzed James' injury. He wrote on Twitter: "LeBron serious injury update: Sciatica refers to pain caused by compression of the longest nerve in the body, usually due to damage to the lumbar disc or hip muscles. Addressing the root of the problem is the key to recovery. Other cases of sciatica in the NBA tend to last for a considerable period of time."

Jeff Stotts further said: "One of the most famous sciatica cases in the NBA is Steve Nash, co-host of LeBron's "Court Brain" show. Nash's sciatica is related to multiple disc herniations and spondylolisthesis in his back." Nash has been plagued by this injury for a long time. We often see Nash in his athlete days lying on the floor covered with towels when resting off the court. Nash continued to suffer from sciatica late in his career and missed games as a result. He eventually retired in 2015.

Medical expert Ivan Jeffries also analyzed James' injury. He believes that James may rest for a longer period of time. After all, 3-4 weeks is just a time for re-evaluation. Jeffries wrote on Twitter: "LeBron James will miss the beginning of the 2025-26 season, and he will be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks. If all goes well, the pain may require a 1-2 week recovery period, and it may take at least 4-6 weeks to recover."

James' injury this time may have an impact on his selection of the best team, after all, he missed a lot of games at once. Nowadays, NBA players participating in the award selection must play more than 65 games, which means they can only miss 17 games at most. When James returns to play in the new season, there may not be much "remainder" left. NBA reporter Tim Reynolds lamented on Twitter: "Tatum will not be selected for the best team this season, Haliburton will not be selected for the best team this season, and if James misses the first month of the game, he will probably not be selected for the best team. These three players were all selected for the best team last season. This all happened before the opening game." Therefore, James definitely hopes to fully recover before returning, and there is no need to take the risk of returning early. This means that the Lakers need other players to fill the vacancies at the beginning of the season, and they also need the team's other two star players Doncic and Reeves to step up and take on more responsibilities.

Since James joined the Lakers in the 2018-19 season, when he is on the court, the Lakers have a record of 248 wins and 171 losses, with a winning rate of 59.1%. When he was absent, the Lakers' record was only 56 wins and 78 losses, and their winning percentage dropped to 41.8%.

It’s time for the weight-loss version of Doncic to take full control of the Lakers. He worked hard this summer to lose some fat on his body, and he had a big breakout in the Men's Basketball European Championship. He averaged 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, shooting 45.8% from the field, 32.1% from three-point range, and 87.8% from the free throw line. Doncic ranks first in the European Championship in points, second in assists, and first in steals. Doncic's efficiency value is 36.6, surpassing Shen Jing, Antetokounmpo, Jokic, Vucevic and Markkanen to rank first.

The Lakers deliberately arranged for Doncic to miss the early preseason games to give him some rest time. If Doncic brings his European Championship form to the NBA regular season, he will be a popular candidate for the scoring title and MVP. Especially when James is absent from the early season games, Doncic will inevitably take over the game and become the absolute leader of the team, which will help him produce gorgeous statistics at the beginning of the season.

Of course, if Doncic can lead the Lakers to perform well at the beginning of the season, it will give him extra points for MVP. The Lakers' current team is pretty good, with Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Hayes, and Vanderbilt on the inside, and Reeves, Smart, Laravia and others on the outside. Doncic led Slovenia with a "simple" lineup into the quarterfinals at the European Championships, demonstrating his excellent team leadership ability. I believe that the Lakers led by Doncic may also bring surprises in the early stages of the new regular season.

In addition to Doncic, Reeves should also step up and take on important responsibilities. Reeves performed outstandingly during James' absence last season. He averaged 27.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, and shot 49%, 43%, and 91% from the field. Reeves rejected the Lakers' four-year, $89.2 million early contract extension this summer. He wants to seek a bigger contract, which means he needs to perform well enough in the new season.