The Los Angeles Lakers are nearing returns for key players Adou Thiero and LeBron James amid ongoing injury recoveries. Rookie wing Thiero could debut soon during the team's road trip, while James has been cleared for full G League practice. These developments come as the Lakers hold an 8-3 record early in the season.
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to manage injuries carefully as they build momentum with an 8-3 start to the 2025-26 NBA season. Second-round pick Adou Thiero, selected No. 36 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, has been sidelined since a left knee hyperextension at Arkansas that required surgery. The injury kept him out of summer league and training camp, but head coach JJ Redick provided an optimistic update on his rehabilitation.
Redick indicated Thiero is making progress and might play at some point during the Lakers' current road trip, which concludes Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks. In late September, Redick emphasized a cautious approach: “We’ve just got to manage him coming from knee surgery and to be quite frank with you, he was not our player when he had the surgery. So we did not have control over what he did for the three months after the surgery. So it’s really about playing the long game with him. We look at this year as a developmental year and there’s no reason for us to push his body and create a long-term problem. His knee is in a really good spot, we just want to be really careful.”
Thiero, regarded as a potential first-round talent, projects as a high-effort defender with a long wingspan suited for contests and blocks in transition. He could complement the Lakers' offensively focused backcourt of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves by bolstering the defense.
Meanwhile, veteran LeBron James, 40, was assigned to the team's G League affiliate, South Bay, on November 12, 2025, after being cleared for his first full practice of the season, including 5-on-5 drills. James has missed the entire regular season so far due to sciatica that sidelined him since training camp and preseason. The Lakers lost their opener 119-109 to the Golden State Warriors without him, but have since gone 8-3, with Dončić also missing four games due to injury. Austin Reaves has stepped up, averaging 30.3 points through his first eight games, up from 20.2 last season when James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds. No specific debut timeline has been set for James, with upcoming games against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday and New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.