After Adapting to Lesser Role, Lakers Now Need LeBron James to Step Up Again

Five years ago, maybe. Ten, definitely. At different times during LeBron James’s career his superlative talent could have overcome a couple of injuries. Even big ones. Remember 2015? James’s Cavaliers lost Kevin Love in the first round of the playoffs that season. Cleveland still reached the NBA Finals. Kyrie Irving went out after Game 1. James still pushed the Warriors to six.

Now? Even for an all-time great, it’s too much.

The Lakers lost to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. What was a close game in the first quarter (34–27) was a blowout by halftime and a laugher at the end of the third quarter. “For 18 minutes we fought hard,” said coach JJ Redick. The 12-deep Thunder—seriously, they can go legit 12 deep—suited up all of their stars, led by reigning (and probably soon-to-be) MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished the game a whopping +32. Injury-ravaged Los Angeles started Drew Timme and Jake LaRavia. Oklahoma City rolled to a 123–87 win.

James didn’t play in this one. Smart move. The Lakers knew they were going to get the Thunder’s fastball. Not only was Oklahoma City protecting the top seed—which is still technically in play—but there was incentive to boot L.A. further down the standings. Pushing the Lakers to fourth positions them as a potential second-round opponent. While setting up a San Antonio–Denver second-round street fight.

Los Angeles has bigger issues than seeding. Luka Dončić is done for the rest of the regular season. Austin Reaves, too. Dončić is in Europe searching for treatments that can accelerate his recovery from a pulled hamstring. Reaves is stateside hoping the Lakers’ medical team can speed up the healing on his left oblique strain. If traditional timelines are any indication, neither player will be ready for the start of the playoffs.

That’s a problem for L.A.

A big problem.

“Our mission hasn’t changed,” Redick said over the weekend. Fine. The ability to achieve it sure has. Sunday’s game against Dallas offered a glimpse into L.A.’s future. Against the Mavericks, who have nothing to play for, the Lakers surrendered 134 points. Cooper Flagg put up 45. They allowed Dallas to shoot 52% from the floor and 44% from the three-point line.

James did his best. James called the injuries to Dončić and Reaves “a shot to the heart.” After spending weeks adapting to his role as the Lakers’ third option—James is averaging career lows in scoring and usage rate—the 22-time All-Star was thrust back into a more prominent one. He scored 30 points in 39 minutes. He chipped in nine rebounds and 15 assists. His 117 touches were the most he’s had in a game since 2021. And it wasn’t enough to beat a team more invested in losing than winning.

For the Lakers, it’s crushing. They had won 16 out of 18 entering last Thursday’s game against Oklahoma City. Dončić was playing like an MVP. Reaves was playing well alongside him. James had embraced his role. Deandre Ayton had, too. The defense had improved significantly. They looked like a team that could spoil one of the top two seeds. Now it’s hard to see a path to get to them.

Tuesday’s loss to the Thunder was ugly. In the second quarter, Redick called a timeout in the second quarter to pull Jarred Vanderbilt. During the break, Vanderbilt gave Redick an earful while he was drawing up a play. Redick downplayed the altercation (“It’s nothing personal,” Redick said), but it’s clear he’s searching for something. Earlier, Redick yanked Rui Hachimura a few minutes into the game.

“We’ve got to find nine guys that are all in on us fighting and willing to go out … [and do] whatever you got to do to go out and fight and be all in on the team,” Redick said. “We’ll find the nine guys. It’s a great opportunity for us over the next three games to find those guys.”

For the Lakers, this untimely injury bug is a double whammy. It takes them out of contention this season. And it deprives the front office of valuable data as they make decisions about next season. L.A. has some big decisions to make this summer. Reaves and James are both set to hit free agency. Re-signing Reaves to a max level deal is a no-brainer. The chemistry between Reaves and Dončić, on and off the court, has been excellent. And if they don’t give him a fat deal, someone else will.

James is more complicated. At 41, he is still playing at a high level. And his willingness to cede the spotlight the last two months has been critical to this team’s surge. Certainly, Lakers brass was eager to see if the regular-season success with its star trio could be duplicated in the playoffs.

Now we’ll never know. Maybe Dončić knows a mad scientist who can speed up a hamstring recovery. Maybe Reaves can find his way back earlier than expected from his oblique strain. And maybe Houston, the Lakers’ likely first-round opponent, is just flawed enough for Los Angeles to sneak by it.

“My preparation doesn’t change,” Redick said. “My messaging changes throughout the season, but it’s trying to get the team to the right point to go compete, play a basketball game, and make the adjustments that we need to make, and find the guys that are able to do it that night.”

And maybe James has enough to lead them. For two decades James has defied even the loftiest expectations. He has led 10 teams to the NBA Finals. He has won four of them. He has performed some wizardry throughout his career. Pushing the depleted Lakers though would be his greatest trick yet.

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