LeBron James will be out for a while, Doncic urged his teammates to maintain their fighting spirit
2025-10-13 07:50
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is expected to miss three to four weeks due to sciatica, which will mean he will miss the early games of the new NBA season. Luka Dončić believes he won't have to do anything extra with LeBron James out, and believes players must maintain a positive attitude to fill in for their absent teammates.
In last season's NBA regular season, LeBron James played 70 times for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 24.4 points per game, 51.3% shooting and 37.6% three-point shooting.
When asked if he should do more in the absence of LeBron James, 26-year-old Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Dončić said, "I don't look at it that way. I just want to go out there and play, whether it's a little more, a little less, as long as we can win."
As the 2025/26 NBA regular season is about to begin, major teams have been actively engaged in training and participating in preseason games, looking forward to entering a new championship journey in better condition.
When talking about his personal adjustments in training, Luka Doncic said, "I just participated in the national team's game and played for Slovenia for about a month. There is a long season coming up, so the coaching staff will make other arrangements."
In addition, Luka Doncic also said, "This is indeed a big change. LeBron James is a great player and helps the team a lot. But in the end, our mentality must be 'next man up'."
"We have a lot of players who are working hard and we hope LeBron James can return as soon as possible. We certainly need him, but right now our mentality has to be the next guy in line, that's all."
On the other hand, Los Angeles Lakers coach Redick said, "We certainly hope that LeBron James can return as soon as possible, but this kind of injury will be more difficult. Before he comes back, our starting lineup is actually not determined yet, and we have to continue to explore."
Related News