Past and future converge for the Los Angeles Lakers this season as LeBron James and Luka Doncic embark on their first full NBA campaign chasing a title that could cement one legacy and launch another.
James, a four-time NBA champion and the league’s all-time leading scorer, heads into an unprecedented 23rd season admitting time is winding down on his glittering career.
It’s Doncic who will be key to whether James is contending for a title in what could be his final season.
The 26-year-old Slovenian star was immediately installed as the face of the franchise going forward when the Lakers acquired him in a stunning mid-season trade last February.
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Doncic, who signed a three-year contract extension worth $165 million in August, appears ready for the challenge.
The player often criticized for poor physical conditioning arrived at training camp in the best shape of his life.
Even as he ramped up slowly in training camp in the wake of his off-season EuroBasket exertions, the Lakers praised his evolution as a leader.
The Lakers have moved to plug some holes with the addition of center Deandre Ayton and former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
But second-year coach JJ Redick’s early season plans took a hit with the news that James will miss the start of the season after a flare up of sciatica, which prevented him from full participation in training camp.
Doncic insisted that he and James have still had a valuable chance to build chemistry and plan effectively.
“It’s not everything about on the court,” Doncic said. “It’s about chemistry off the court, too. So, obviously, now it’s a little more off the court, but while we watched practices this week, we talked a lot about it.”
As the Lakers prepared to open the season against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors today, Doncic acknowledged that James’s absence is “a big change.
“He’s a great player. He can help us a lot. But at the end of the day, our mentality needs to be next man up.
“We’ve got a group of guys that have been practicing and hopefully LeBron can join us as soon as possible. We are obviously going to need him.
“But our mentality has got to be next man up. That’s it.”
The Lakers said on October 9 that James would be sidelined at least three or four weeks, with US media reporting he’s targeting a mid-November season debut.
With his 41st birthday looming in December, James remains a formidable force.
He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game last season as the Lakers built a 50-32 regular-season record, earning the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs but falling in the first round to the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
With James out, the Lakers will have to lean even more heavily on Doncic, although he said it’s not a question of consciously trying to fill the void.
“No, I don’t view it that way,” Doncic said. “I just want to play basketball. If I do less, if I do more, whatever it takes for me to get a win.”