Dave McMenaminOct 22, 2025, 06:49 PM ET
- Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
- Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — When the Los Angeles Lakers reviewed the tape of their disappointing 119-109 opening-night loss to the Golden State Warriors, coach JJ Redick said there was an important voice in the room as they sifted through the wreckage: LeBron James.
“LeBron was really helpful,” Redick said after practice Wednesday.
James, dressed in a suit and glasses, appeared stoic in his padded seat at the end of the bench Tuesday as he missed his first regular-season opener of his 23-year career because of sciatica affecting his lower back and right leg.
Although James won’t be reevaluated for another one to two weeks and sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania he isn’t expected to make his season debut until mid-November, he was active in the film session when the coaching staff pointed out how L.A. allowed Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield to shoot too many open 3s.
“We did a poor job of locating the lasers in transition, which was a point of emphasis of our defense,” Redick said. “Buddy Hield got two [3-pointers] off in the second half. Steph got one right in front of our bench in the first half. That was literally the second priority of the game, was locating those guys in transition. So, clean that up and again talk through that. … All of us kind of talked about that in film.”
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Redick said he encourages the discourse that the 40-year-old James can stir for the team.
“I told them him asking questions, him giving his input, us having a back-and-forth is so healthy,” Redick said. “I would like to have dialogue and back-and-forth and questions every single time we do film and teach. You got a question, speak up. If you want to make a point, speak up. It was good.”
Hield and Curry combining to shoot 8-for-19 from 3, while the Lakers shot 8-for-32 as a team, was just one of several problems for L.A. in the opener.
The Lakers also were outscored 33-18 in bench points and 35-25 in the third quarter, missed 11 free throws, and committed 20 turnovers, leading to 22 points for the Warriors.
However, members of the team said the film review allowed for clear-eyed perspective as the Lakers look to improve on that initial showing when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
“I think there were some glaring things that we can work on, which in some ways is encouraging,” Lakers guard Gabe Vincent said. “You find things that end up being 12, 14 points, and it’s like, ‘Oh, if we can clean that up, it’s a different conversation. That game looks a lot different.'”
Added Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt: “It wasn’t as bad as we thought it was. It’s a couple things that we can clean up on that could easily change the way the game went. And it’s things that are controllable. … So just locking in, focusing on those.”
Another thing that doesn’t appear to be as bad as it seemed is Luka Doncic’s health.
The Lakers star required more than an hour of treatment on the inside of his right leg after appearing to pull his groin late in the fourth quarter on the way to scoring 43 points in 41 minutes against Golden State. But Redick did not sound too concerned Wednesday.
“He seems to be fine,” Redick said. “I don’t think it’s anything major. He got some treatment this morning, and we didn’t practice long, but he was a participant in practice.”
Doncic’s availability will be paramount, especially with James out, as L.A. tries to build some continuity to start the season.
“Our team, by the end of last season, had a connective brain tissue,” Redick said. “We functioned really well as a unit whatever group was out there. We just don’t have that yet. We don’t have that connectivity where we all kind of trust and know each other on both ends of the floor and we know exactly what we’re doing.
“We’re going to get there. I’m very confident we’re going to get there.”
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