Lakers’ LeBron James finds long-term silver lining from ugly Blazers loss, with a caveat

On Saturday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered their second straight loss with a blowout defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers were playing without several key pieces in this one, including star Luka Doncic, but it still won’t erase the bad taste in their mouths after seeing their record drop to 24-16 on the 2025-26 NBA season.

This game was a strong showing from backup big man Drew Timme, who scored 21 points in a rare opportunity that presented itself due to the team’s injuries.

After the game, LeBron James had praise for Timme’s performance and what it can do for the Lakers moving forward, noting that he can help the team “If we continue to play him,” per Dave McMenamin of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.

It remains to be seen if there will be a role for Timme in the Lakers’ rotation once they are fully healthy, but his performance on Saturday night certainly gave head coach JJ Redick something to think about, if nothing else.

Frontcourt production is not necessarily an area of strength for Los Angeles, as Deandre Ayton’s play has started to falter a bit after a strong start to the season, and Jaxson Hayes still has not fully earned Redick’s trust over the long haul.

If Timme continues to put up strong performances moving forward, it may be in Los Angeles’ best interest to carve out a regular role for him.

Still, Los Angeles will need both Doncic and Austin Reaves back in the lineup as soon as possible in order to break them out of their current funk, now having suffered two straight blowout losses at the hands of the Blazers and the Charlotte Hornets.

The Lakers will next take the floor for the second end of a back-to-back on Sunday evening against the Toronto Raptors at 9:30 pm ET.

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