Luka DonÄić can make early MVP case with LeBron James missing start of the season

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without LeBron James, who is suffering from a case of sciatica. The current timetable is set for James to be reevaluated in 3-4 weeks.

Needless to say, this is a huge loss for the Lakers, who run the risk of being without the future Hall of Famer for almost a month, which could significantly impact where the organization ends up this season.

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An all-around loss

It’s no surprise that James offers production in multiple areas. He’s a top-tier playmaker and strong rebounder, and despite being 40 he can still be penciled in for 24-25 points per game.

But the stats only tell you so much. There’s also the element of him being a 6-foo-9, highly versatile and extremely physical floor presence, which are now features the Lakers will have to play without. James’ ability to get to the foul line, as well as the threat of him in transition, will force the Lakers to slow things down, and likely by a considerable margin.

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That’s a lot of easy scoring opportunities suddenly taken off the floor, not to mention a big, wide body, who is agile enough to defensively rotate between the perimeter and the interior.

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This isn’t to say the Lakers are out of the playoff picture before the season even starts. But it does make any race later in the year difficult if they find themselves behind the curve when the calendar flips to 2026.

It’s that time for Luka DonÄić

With James out, the burden falls even more on the franchise’s best player, Luka DonÄić. The Slovenian lost weight over the course of summer, and has been getting early MVP buzz based on his play at EuroBasket, where he looked more engaged defensively and had better stamina.

DonÄić is known as someone who can put up big numbers, and as a player the offense can run through. This hasn’t changed, and the Lakers are likely banking on the All-Star to carry an increased level of responsibility with James out.

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If the Lakers somehow get out to a strong start and find themselves within the top 6 in the time they’re without James, that is going to be an enormous argument for the MVP chances of DonÄić, who has yet to win one in his career.

Of course, he’ll have to get some help for the Lakers to find themselves in that position. That’s where Austin Reaves, who will unquestionably get more on-ball opportunities without James, has a chance to shine. The 6-5 off-guard has always been reliable, but the Lakers are going to need him to approach legitimate All-Star production with James out.

Can he do that, even though his play tends to overlap with that of DonÄić? Or will head coach JJ Redick stagger them to a point, where both DonÄić and Reaves deliver when the other is on the bench?

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There’s a lot to figure out in La La Land, but the Lakers have on-court options to help their chances with James out, and keep their head above water.

Of course, it does need reminding that when James does return, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if the Lakers dip a little in production. Installing a high-volume scorer, who is also a heavy on-ball creator, doesn’t happen overnight, which is something the players and coaching staff will have to ready themselves for.

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