LeBron's injury is good news for Timberwolves' early-season schedule

Lakers superstar LeBron James will be sidelined for at least 3-4 weeks with sciatica in his right side, according to reports on Thursday. It'll be his first time missing opening night since his record-breaking NBA career began back in 2003.

While you never want to see injuries to star players, James' absence will be good news for the Timberwolves, who play the Lakers twice in the month of October. The Wolves will be in LA for the second game of the season on Oct. 24, and the Lakers will then come to Minneapolis on Oct. 29 for game five of 82.

If James is out for at least three weeks from Thursday, the earliest he could return would be a Halloween game in Memphis. But the wording of the reports around his status suggests the more likely outcome is that he doesn't return until some time in November.

Even as he approaches his 41st birthday in December, James remains one of the best players in the NBA. Last season, he played in 70 games and averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists on roughly 51/38/78 shooting splits. James finished sixth in MVP voting, one spot ahead of Anthony Edwards, and earned both All-Star and All-NBA honors for the 21st consecutive year (which is hard to wrap your brain around). The league's all-time leading scorer hasn't yet shown signs of slowing down.

James averaged 25.4 points, 9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in the Lakers' five-game loss to the Timberwolves in the first round of last season's playoffs.

With LeBron almost certainly out for both games against Minnesota later this month, the Wolves' early-season schedule looks a bit easier. Their first seven games are against the Trail Blazers, the LeBron-less Lakers (twice), the Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton, the Nuggets, the Hornets, and the Nets. There's a real path to a 5-2 start for Minnesota if Chris Finch's team plays well right away.

With that said, no game in the NBA is a certain win, and the Lakers will be a feisty opponent even without James. They still have another superstar by the name of Luka Doncic, who is certainly capable of winning a game by himself. The Lakers will have a few different options to fill James' spot in the starting lineup alongside Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and new center DeAndre Ayton.

The Wolves and Lakers only play one other game this season, and it's in Los Angeles in March. Fans hoping to see James play at Target Center this season are out of luck unless he makes an unexpected early return to the court. There's a non-zero chance James has played his final game in Minneapolis, although he's given no indication that the 2025-26 season will be his last.

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