Lakers insiders believe Laravia or VanderBiao will replace James in the starting lineup

According to US sports media F/W analyst Gautam Warrier, the Lakers will lose James from the lineup at the start of the 2025-26 NBA season because he currently suffers from sciatica. James will be out for three to four weeks, and Lakers insider Dan Woik said on "The Zach Lowe Show" that he believes Van Der Biao or Laravia will replace him in the starting lineup. "I think it's either Vanderbilt or Laravia," Voick said. "... I think LaRavia is multi-dimensional. Kind of like I can make things better in a lot of different ways. In that case, probably playing better off the bench. But it's a real decision. I think Vanderbilt gives you more points to attack."

You're never going to have a replacement for a player like James, who is averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists in 2024-25. The decision on his replacement between Vanderbilt and Laravia will come down to whether you want more offense or defense in the starting lineup. Vanderbilt is quite possibly the best defender on the Lakers roster, but he can't really shoot the ball and doesn't offer much offensively overall. As for LaRavia, he's nowhere near as good a defender as Vanderbilt, but he can shoot.

The Lakers' starting backcourt looks to be Doncic and Reeves, and neither is a good defender. You need to surround them with quality, and Vanderbilt does that. At the same time, you want shooters next to Doncic, which makes Laravia look like the better option. Vanderbilt is looking good in the preseason so far. This time around, the 26-year-old was healthy during the offseason, which kept him in good shape from the start. Vanderbilt averaged 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, but shot only 10% from beyond the three-point line. Having two non-shooters in a lineup with him and Ayton might not be ideal. Laravia also didn't shoot well in the preseason. The 23-year-old averaged 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 25% from three-point range.

The Lakers also hope that Doncic and Reeves can effectively shoulder a greater burden on the offensive end. They are the only two guys on this team who can create for themselves and others with James on the sidelines. We've seen Doncic endure some ridiculous performances on offense in the past, and you're not going to do that again early in the season. But this stretch of time early in the season could also ultimately impact James' future. The 21-time All-Star may reportedly reevaluate his future with the Lakers depending on how they perform in his absence.

James will become a free agent in 2026 and he hopes to win his fifth championship. If the 40-year-old thinks that's not possible with the Lakers, "Rich and James, they're going to be watching every move because the priority at this stage is winning. If they don't win, maybe he's going to have to look elsewhere to find a winning combination." Do you guys think that's going to happen?