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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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It’s Doncic who will be key to whether James is contending for a title in what could be his final season.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Doncic, who signed a three-year contract extension worth $165 million in August, appears ready for the challenge.<\/p>\n
The player often criticized for poor physical conditioning arrived at training camp in the best shape of his life.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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The Lakers have moved to plug some holes with the addition of center Deandre Ayton and former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Doncic insisted that he and James have still had a valuable chance to build chemistry and plan effectively.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
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As the Lakers prepared to open the season against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Doncic acknowledged that James’s absence is “a big change.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“But our mentality has got to be next man up. That’s it.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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– Whatever it takes –<\/p>\n
With his 41st birthday looming in December, James remains a formidable force.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
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