LeBron James says the key to the Lakers’ season is simple, and it is also the one thing they unfortunately have not had. Health. Without it, nothing else really matters.
Talent means nothing without shared reps
On the Mind the Game podcast, LeBron stated that “we’re playing good ball at times, but the number one important thing for us is back to health… that is going to be the most important for our team.”
James even admitted this has been the theme for years. “It’s kind of been like that for the last few years… We haven’t been set up to the point where we have a lot of room for error.” That line explains everything about how this roster is built. When the stars are there, the Lakers can compete with anyone. When they are not, the drop-off is sharp. This season has followed that exact script.
LeBron James missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica and has now totalled 18 missed games overall. That makes it official that he can’t reach the 65-game threshold, meaning his All-NBA streak has officially closed.
Austin Reaves has missed 26 of the Lakers’ 57 games. That’s not minor. When healthy, Reaves is averaging 25 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on over 50 percent shooting. That kind of production does not just get easily replaced by committee.
Then there is Luka Doncic. He leads the league in scoring, ranks third in assists, and is firmly in the MVP conversation with averages of 32.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists. He has missed 12 games. There is no backup plan for that kind of impact.
LeBron even looked back to when Anthony Davis was still with the team to make his point clearer. “When AD was on the team, if AD goes down, it was like s*** we don’t have enough to pick that up.” It is blunt, but it fits. The Lakers depend heavily on top-end talent. That has not changed over the years.
The hardest part is not just the games missed. It is the lack of shared reps. Doncic, LeBron, and Reaves form one of the most gifted offensive trios in the league. All three can score, create, and manipulate defenses. But timing only comes from playing together. And they have not had enough of that.
Even when healthy, the Lakers have defensive flaws. But with their trio intact, they at least have the offensive ceiling to win high-scoring games. Without continuity, that margin shrinks. Until this team finds a way to stay healthy and spend consistent time together, the version of the Lakers everyone talks about remains theoretical.