Lakers Notes: Hachimura, Thiero, Game Ball, LeBron, AD
Rui Hachimura missed his first game of the season on Saturday in Milwaukee due to a sore left calf, an issue Lakers head coach JJ Redick said the starting forward had been dealing with “all week,” writes Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group.
“With a back-to-back, probably just smart to hold him out,” Redick said. “But I don’t think it will be a lingering thing. We’ll miss him. It feels like every game I’m coaching, it’s this way. So, nothing changes.”
Marcus Smart (viral illness) was also ruled out of Saturday’s game, with Bronny James and Jake LaRavia sliding into the starting lineup. It was James’ first start of the season and second of his career, Price notes. The 2024 second-round pick has been part of the rotation amid backcourt injuries this fall, though he only played 10 minutes against the Bucks, below his season average of 11.9 MPG.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Rookie forward Adou Thiero made his NBA debut in Saturday’s lopsided win, recording four points and one rebound in a little under five minutes of action. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN details, while the outcome of the game was never in question, there was a minor controversy after the final buzzer ended. Jarred Vanderbilt was holding the game ball to give it to Thiero for scoring his first career points, but apparently crew chief Pat Fraher had other plans, as he took the ball from Vanderbilt and gave it to a Bucks team attendant, telling players it belonged to Milwaukee. “[Fraher] said he’s going to write me up,” Vanderbilt told ESPN. “I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. These refs, they just want to have their power or something, I don’t know. I don’t know what he was reaching for. That’s been a thing since way before I was in the league. What, was he going to take the ball home or something?“
- According to McMenamin, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo intervened at center court, taking the ball from the attendant and handing it to Luka Doncic, who presented the ball to Thiero in the Lakers’ locker room. “At first I didn’t realize it was all for me,” said Thiero, who was selected No. 36 overall in June’s draft. “But I’m very thankful for this team. I think that shows how connected we are and how much we want each other to succeed.”
- LeBron James, who practiced two times with the team’s G League affiliate in recent days, could make his season debut as soon as Tuesday, McMenamin adds. The 40-year-old star has been recovering from sciatica on his right side.
- Before sending him to Dallas in February as part of the Doncic blockbuster, the Lakers quietly gauged trade interest in Anthony Davis last December, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Siegel hears those December conversations centered around the possibility of dealing Davis during the 2025 offseason, not before the February trade deadline, but obviously things changed when the Lakers were presented with the opportunity to acquire Doncic.
Lakers Among Several Teams Ordered To Turn Over Cell Phones In Gambling Probe
As part of its investigation into illegal gambling, the NBA has asked several teams, including the Lakers, to turn over documents and other items, six league sources tell Joe Vardon, Mike Vorkunov and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Prodded by Congress, the league is conducting a probe related to the federal charges brought last month against Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones, who previously served as LeBron James‘ shooting coach and had access to inside information on the Lakers.
The investigation is being handled by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which has been contacting teams for access to cell phones, according to the authors. League sources tell them that Lakers assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims are already cooperating with the investigation and voluntarily turned over their phones.
Vardon, Vorkunov and Amick point out that Mancias has served as James’ personal trainer for the past two decades and Mims has been James’ close friend since high school. Their connections to Jones are expected to be further explored as part of the investigation.
“The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public,” a league spokesman told The Athletic. “As is standard in these kinds of investigations, a number of different individuals and organizations were asked to preserve documents and records. Everyone has been fully cooperative.”
The authors point out that James, Mancias and Mims haven’t been charged with anything and haven’t been directly named in any charging document. However, their relationship with Jones could be significant, as he’s being accused of selling private injury information to gamblers regarding two Lakers players.
Jones entered a not guilty plea at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn on November 6. The government is accusing him of twice selling information to bettors regarding the injury status of two Lakers stars. The case alleges that Jones found out on the morning of February 9, 2023, that “Player 3” wouldn’t be active that night against Milwaukee and relayed that information to another person, whom he told to place a “big bet” on the Bucks. The authors note that James didn’t play that night.
A similar incident took place for a January 15, 2024, game against Oklahoma City, according to the government’s case.
League sources also tell Vardon, Vorkunov and Amick that at least two executives with teams mentioned in the charges against Jones and Rozier received notice from the league about an expanding investigation.
The authors state that the government also alleges that a “regularly starting player” with the Magic told a gambler that the team planned to rest its starters during an April 2023 game against Cleveland, and that information was sold to other bettors. A league source tells the authors that Orlando officials haven’t been contacted by the Department of Justice and the player in question is no longer with the team.
Illegal bets were placed against Portland with information supplied to gamblers by a coach matching Billups’ description, according to the government, but Billups has only been charged with participating in illegal poker games.
Sources tell the authors that the NBA is in the process of adopting stricter rules for teams to follow in reporting the status of injured players.
Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Davis, Magic, Clippers, LeBron
With the Mavericks off to a 3-9 start, there’s a feeling around the league that trading Anthony Davis — and possibly Kyrie Irving as well — might be their best strategy, according to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Dallas fired general manager Nico Harrison this week amid continued fan uproar over February’s Luka Doncic trade, and now personnel moves may be necessary to carve out a brighter future.
Trade speculation has already focused on Davis, who is currently sidelined with a left calf strain and has appeared in just five games this season. He’s under contract for $58.5MM in 2026/27 and has a $62.8MM player option for the following season. He’ll become eligible for an extension next summer and could earn up to $218.5MM by picking up the option and extending for three more years.
Considering Davis’ contract situation and his long injury history, Windhorst states that the Mavs may have trouble getting the return they would want in a potential trade.
“I just looked it up so I could say this to my owner if he asks me about it, AD is turning 33 in March and he’s going to be in position next summer where he’ll probably want a contract extension that would cost $70MM per year when he’d be 37,” a rival general manager said. “He’s a great player, full stop. But when you consider a player at his age with his injury history, you’d also be trading for the stress of that extension. That plays into it.”
Executives around the league tell Bontemps that while the Mavericks could still be formidable with a fully healthy roster, moving the two stars and replenishing their draft assets while building around Cooper Flagg is probably their best strategy. After the 2026 draft, Dallas doesn’t control any of its first-round picks for the rest of the decade.
Parting with Davis and Irving would also help the Mavs escape the luxury tax, Bontemps adds. The team is projected to have a tax bill around $32MM this season, and the current roster is about $16MM over the tax threshold.
Bontemps and Windhorst share more inside information from around the NBA:
- The Magic have won five of their last seven games, but their offense is still just 18th in the league and the offseason trade for Desmond Bane hasn’t provided the spark that was hoped for. According to Windhorst, head coach Jamahl Mosley has turned over most of the play calling to assistant Joe Prunty, who was hired during the offseason. However, some observers are skeptical that the current roster is capable of producing an efficient offense. “It’s got to get a little better, but the pieces aren’t changing,” a West executive said. “Bane will settle in eventually. But you still have a ball-dominant, iso star in Paolo (Banchero) that doesn’t scream ball movement, player movement and getting open shots. It hasn’t been pretty at all.”
- With an old roster and growing injury concerns, the Clippers may be “cooked” after a 3-8 start. Bradley Beal has been lost for the season with a hip fracture, and Kawhi Leonard has been diagnosed with a sprained foot as well as a sprained ankle. It appears the decision to invest heavily in veteran talent is backfiring, as Windhorst notes that Brook Lopez, Nicolas Batum and Bogdan Bogdanovic haven’t been productive early in the season, while Chris Paul is completely out of the rotation. “They move so slowly, they can’t recover when they turn the ball over or give up a quick transition,” one advance scout said.
- The Spurs and Lakers are both off to impressive starts, but there are mixed opinions on whether they can finish in the top four in the West. A West scout doesn’t believe Victor Wembanyama can hold up for 82 games, while an East executive isn’t convinced that L.A. will get better when LeBron James returns from his injury. “Don’t ask me about the Lakers until I can see LeBron play and see him move and how he looks,” the executive said. “He isn’t just dealing with the sciatica, he hurt his knee at the end of last season, and it surely affected his training routine. He’s never started a season coming off injuries like this before.”
L.A. Notes: LeBron, Luka, Thiero, Clippers’ Young Reserves
LeBron James, whose season debut has been delayed by sciatica on his right side, is ramping up his activity. The Lakers superstar practiced with the team’s G League affiliate on Wednesday, including doing contact five-on-five work, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group writes.
“It was also an incredible opportunity for [South Bay coach] Zach [Guthrie] and his staff and all the guys that are with South Bay right now to have that experience,” head coach JJ Redick said. “But the reports are that he looked good, and was moving well.”
James was also a full participant in South Bay’s practice on Thursday and showed no ill effects from Wednesday’s session, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who hears from sources that the 40-year-old forward could practice with the Lakers on Monday if he continues to experience no discomfort in the coming days.
Here’s more from Los Angeles:
- The Lakers were thoroughly outclassed by the Thunder on Wednesday, losing by 29 points. After being limited to a season-low 19 points (on 7-of-20 shooting), star guard Luka Doncic said he wasn’t concerned about the apparent gap between the two teams, instead using it as a source of motivation. “Definitely wasn’t our best game, probably one of the worst this season,” Doncic said, per Price. “They all did a great job on me. They’re champions for a reason. They showed that. We need to be more ready. Obviously, it starts with me. I need to be way better than that.”
- Lakers rookie Adou Thiero has been listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup in New Orleans, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic. The 21-year-old was selected 36th overall in the 2025 draft, but has yet to make his NBA debut after undergoing left knee surgery in college. Redick previously expressed optimism that the high-flying forward could return during the team’s current road trip, which concludes Saturday in Milwaukee.
- While the Clippers have had a rough start to the season – they hold a 3-8 record after dropping six straight games – their young reserves have been a bright spot of late. Second-year guard Cam Christie had some encouraging performances late last week against Phoenix, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register, then Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders received rotation minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Denver, with third-year wing Miller having a career night (22 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes). “I thought they came in, gave us a lot of energy … so they got to keep growing, these young guys,” head coach Tyronn Lue said (story via Carr). “They’re going to make some mistakes, we understand that. But I did love the way they played. I thought they played the right way. The ball moved, guys got open shots, we attacked the paint, made the right play, and so just kept giving those guys room to grow. And I thought tonight was a step in the right direction.”
Injury Notes: LeBron, Garland, Sharpe, Morant, Edey
As expected, Lakers star LeBron James has been assigned to the G League today in order to practice with the South Bay Lakers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
James, whose season debut has been delayed while he deals with sciatica on his right side, is being sent to the G League for the first time since he entered the NBA in 2003. The assignment will, of course, be a brief one, giving the 40-year-old an opportunity to take part in his first full practice of the season, including 5-on-5 play, Charania notes.
Charania reported nearly a month ago that James and the Lakers were targeting mid-November for his 2025/26 debut. His progress so far appears to line up with that timeline.
The Lakers, led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, have played well in James’ absence, winning eight of their first 11 games this season.
We have a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- The Cavaliers announced today that point guard Darius Garland has been diagnosed with a contusion on his left great toe after re-injuring that surgically repaired toe in Monday’s game vs. Miami (Twitter link). While Garland will miss Wednesday’s rematch with the Heat, the diagnosis is a best-case scenario for him and the Cavs, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who notes that the team hasn’t ruled out the point guard for any additional games yet. Garland will receive daily treatment and his status will be updated as appropriate, per the club.
- Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe sat out on Tuesday vs. Toronto due to what the team referred to as a left glute contusion, but the injury isn’t considered significant, writes C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required). “He’s day-to-day, we’re not concerned,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “And we want to make sure he feels good and mentally in a good place to be ready to play. So, that’s all good news, and it’s an opportunity for the next man up.” One of those “next men up” could be rookie forward Danny Wolf, who was recalled from the G League before Tuesday’s game and made his second NBA appearance.
- While Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is questionable to play on Wednesday vs. the Celtics due to right ankle soreness, center Zach Edey (left ankle surgery recovery) has taken another step toward his season debut, having been upgraded from out to doubtful, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. While he may not play on Wednesday in Boston, Edey could be available for Saturday’s game in Cleveland. “I’ve seen him on the court working out,” teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “I’m excited for him to be back.”
Lakers Notes: Reaves, LeBron, Thiero, Hawks Loss
After initially being listed as questionable for Monday’s contest in Charlotte, Lakers guard Austin Reaves was subsequently upgraded to probable and then available, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group tweets.
Reaves had missed the past three games with a right groin injury. The 27-year-old, who is expected to become a free agent next summer, was back in the starting lineup on Monday alongside Luka Doncic, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Superstar forward LeBron James is expected to practice with the G League’s South Bay Lakers later this week, according to Price (Twitter link). James was recently cleared for contact work and is ramping up to make his season debut after dealing with sciatica on his right side. The 40-year-old was selected to his record-extending 20th All-NBA team in 2024/25.
- While Adou Thiero is out again Monday, head coach JJ Redick is optimistic that the rookie forward could make his NBA debut during the team’s current road trip, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. The Lakers have three more road games this week (at Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Milwaukee) before returning home to Los Angeles. Thiero, 21, was selected 36th overall in the 2025 draft. He has been sidelined with a knee injury he sustained in college at Arkansas.
- Although the Lakers were shorthanded in Saturday’s loss in Atlanta, so were the Hawks, who were down six players, including Trae Young, Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The lopsided defeat snapped a five-game winning streak for the Lakers. “This isn’t the identity of this team,” forward Jake LaRavia said, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times. “This game was an outlier of the first 10 games that we played. [We have to] just not let it break us and be ready to play the next game.”
Injury Notes: Ball, Sexton, Finney-Smith, Sabonis, LeBron
After initially being listed as questionable with a right ankle impingement, Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was subsequently downgraded to doubtful and then out ahead of Friday’s matchup in Miami (All Twitter links via the team). It’s the third straight absence for the former Rookie of the Year, who has battled numerous ankle injuries over the past few years.
“Yeah, he’s got that ankle impingement and it’s been good to see he’s been able to get a little bit of work on the court,” head coach Charles Lee said of Ball, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “And I think every day he feels a little bit better. He’s joined some team activities, which is great. So, the goal is to have him available for as many games as possible this year.
“And so I think that we’re just trying to take a day-by-day, day-to-day approach and a process. He’s got a plan in place, and he’s getting better every day.”
The Hornets were also without Collin Sexton on Friday, as the veteran guard is dealing with a neck strain he sustained on Tuesday in New Orleans. Lee said Sexton, who also chipped his tooth during the hard fall, went through Friday’s shootaround but he didn’t feel like he was ready to play, Boone writes. Lee is optimistic Sexton will return soon, Boone adds.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Free agent addition Dorian Finney-Smith has yet to make his Rockets debut as he continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery. It doesn’t sound like the veteran forward is particularly close to suiting up, as Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle tweets. “He’s getting non-contact work in, and got to see how the ankle responds to an increase in the load there,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “And so don’t really have a timeline.”
- Kings center Domantas Sabonis will miss his second straight game on Friday due to a left rib contusion, as first reported by Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) and later confirmed by the team (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). It will be the fourth overall absence for the two-time All-NBA big man, who missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury.
- Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided an injury update on superstar forward LeBron James on Friday, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter links). James, who is working his way back from sciatica on his right side, has done one-on-one work with coaches after being cleared for contact activities and will continue to ramp up from there. There’s also a chance the 21-time All-Star could practice with the Lakers’ G League affiliate at some point, according to Redick, though that’s still tentative.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Luka, Ayton, Smart, Harding
LeBron James is reportedly gearing up to play five-on-five. The 40-year-old superstar’s 2025/26 season debut has been delayed by sciatica on his right side.
According to the Lakers, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has been cleared for contact work and will be reevaluated in one-to-two weeks (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group).
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- The team recorded an impressive victory on Wednesday against San Antonio despite missing James and Austin Reaves (right groin soreness), writes Law Murray of The Athletic. Luka Doncic had a poor shooting night, but still finished with game highs of 35 points, 13 assists and five steals (he also contributed nine rebounds and two blocks).
- Perhaps more importantly, Deandre Ayton (22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, one steal, two blocks, and zero turnovers) outdueled Victor Wembanyama (19 points on 5-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block, and five turnovers before fouling out) in the battle of former No. 1 overall picks, Murray notes. “That’s something I’ve been wanting to show, especially to my coaching staff as well,” Ayton said of his defense. “And they trust me to really go out there and guard one or two dribbles before my help come. And yeah, I’ll be good, comfortable out there. I know my help coming, so I’m straight.”
- Veteran guard Marcus Smart nearly blew the game after committing a careless turnover in the final seconds, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Smart stepped on the end line as he attempted to make an inbounds pass. “To have that call at the end of the game, 1.2 [seconds], we got a guy wide open, all he’s got to do is catch it and the ballgame is over,” Smart said. “It’s kind of crazy, but as a 12-year vet, I can’t make that mistake. I take full ownership of it. My teammates understand. They are going to joke with me. They are going to let me hear about it. But it will never happen again.”
- Within an in-depth story for ESPN.com, McMenamin writes that Lakers assistant coach Lindsey Harding aspires to be the first female head coach in NBA history. Governor Jeanie Buss believes Harding has all the tools for the job. “She’s a professional, she knows the game, she is a great communicator, she brings a level of energy, positivity. She is just great,” Buss told ESPN. “I’m just thrilled that she is part of our staff. But I understand if people are going to try to pick her off because she’s just that good.”
LeBron James Preparing For Five-On-Five Play
LeBron James has missed the first eight games of the Lakers‘ season and will remain on the shelf for at least a few more, but he’s making progress toward his return to the court, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter video link).
“LeBron James has been working out individually, and I’ve been told that the next step for him is five-on-five live play,” Charania explained.
Charania adds that James will not be traveling with the team on its five-game road trip that starts in Atlanta this weekend, following Wednesday’s game against the Spurs. It’s not certain if that live action would occur with the team’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, who will be practicing in El Segundo, California, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, or if James will rejoin the team once it returns from the road trip on November 15.
As ESPN’s Malika Andrews notes in her conversation with Charania, this would indicate that the earliest James would return is November 18 against the Jazz.
The Lakers have started the season 6-2 entering Wednesday’s game against the Spurs, despite playing without not only James but also Luka Doncic, who has missed four of the team’s eight games.
McMenamin notes that once James appears in his first game, he will officially become the first player to play 23 seasons in the NBA.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Hayes, Smart, Thiero, Reaves, Ayton
There’s no firm timetable for LeBron James to resume playing, but Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters before Wednesday’s game that it will likely be during the second or third week of November, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). That confirms a report two weeks ago from ESPN’s Shams Charania, who pegged mid-November as the most likely time for James to return.
James is expected to be reevaluated later this week to determine how much progress he’s made in his bout with sciatica. He reportedly began experiencing the nerve condition during the summer and it affected him through the start of training camp.
Redick also provided an update on Luka Doncic, who is missing his third straight game tonight with a finger sprain and leg contusion. Redick said they hope to have Doncic back in the next “couple of games,” adding that his left hand has gone from twice its normal size to about one and a half times the size it should be (Twitter link). Doncic is considered day-to-day, but he’s not with the team on its current road trip, which ends Friday at Memphis.
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Backup center Jaxson Hayes was upgraded to available for tonight’s game after missing the past three contests with soreness in his left knee, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). Hayes played 14 minutes in the opener for his only action this season. Marcus Smart is missing his second straight game with a right quad contusion.
- The Lakers announced that Adou Thiero has been cleared for live on-court contact work, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). The next step is 5-on-5 activities, which will begin soon at practice with the NBA team and the G League South Bay Lakers. The rookie forward is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered in college.
- The absences of James and Doncic has forced Austin Reaves into a larger ball-handling role, and he’s formed an instant chemistry with Deandre Ayton, Price states in a full story. Along with his 92 points over the past two games, Reaves has handed out 14 assists, many of them to Ayton as a pick-and-roll partner. “He’s been awesome,” Reaves said. “He’s been very receptive to listening to not only what I have to say, Luka, Bron, the front office, coaches, he’s been very locked into everything that we’ve told him. And then take everything that we told him, but on the back end of that, we give him a voice. We ask him what he wants, what he likes and try to make that work together. Four games in, I feel like he’s continued to build on that, and it’s been very, very good.”