Why LeBron James isn’t playing tonight for Lakers vs. Timberwolves with potential injury return news

The Los Angeles Lakers had a tough opening night, unable to keep up with the Golden State Warriors.

And if that's a sign of things to come, it could be tough for a little while due to the status of LeBron James.

The all-time great isn't playing in the early stages of this season.

No, he's not retired.

He's in the final year of his contract with the Lakers, which is paying him $52.6 million for this season.

Sometime soon, he'll be back on the floor with Luka Doncic. Just not yet.

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Why isn’t LeBron James playing tonight?

LeBron James remains out with an injury as the Lakers have reached the second game of their season.

James is dealing with sciatica on the right side of his body, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Sciatica causes pain and weakness in the lower back and leg. It's not something James has been documented as having dealt with before.

When James was diagnosed with the sciatica, he was expected to be out for three to four weeks. The Lakers would hope to have him back in early November.

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With James out, the Lakers will rely more on Austin Reaves as a secondary initiator to Doncic. Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht should also see more run on the floor, too.

It's not going to be an easy situation for the Lakers to manage, especially if they lose a few more games in the near term. At James' age, there's no telling how the 40-year old will recover from this and how quickly he'll be back up to speed to play.

The Lakers may want to monitor LeBron's minutes even when he gets back to action. But we don't yet know exactly when that return may be.

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