James: With Doncic injured, I may need to adapt to a new role; the only certainty is we won't have to play in the play-in tournament.

On April 3 Beijing time, the Lakers suffered a heavy defeat 96-139 against the Thunder, with Doncic leaving due to injury. James played 26 minutes, shooting 3 out of 7, 1 out of 4 from three-point range, and making 6 out of 8 free throws, totaling 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, with a plus/minus of -37. After the game, James spoke to the media—

Reporter: Does it feel a bit better knowing you now have relatively ample time to adjust?

James: In this league, you can never relax at any time. The only thing we know for sure is that we don't have to play in the play-in tournament anymore, so we'll have about a week of free time. But health is the most important asset. We're already missing Smart, and now Doncic is injured too. We don't know his recovery timeline yet; we'll just have to wait and see.

Reporter: Daigneault mentioned that last year you easily won the first of two games here against them. He said sometimes getting a harsh lesson can trigger a bounce-back. How do you process such a heavy defeat, especially when you'll face them again in a few days?

James: Our focus should now be on Dallas, not Oklahoma City; the next game is against the Mavericks. We know the Thunder's strength well, but they shouldn't have dominated us like this from the start tonight. We'll handle it when it's time, but right now we still have road games to play.

Reporter: Your strong performance after the All-Star break was largely due to controlling turnovers. What did the Thunder do to make you so uncomfortable?

James: They have several wing defenders, multiple players who can apply tight pressure, push the pace aggressively, with long wingspans and good steal instincts. Against such a team, if you give them transition opportunities, it's over. I remember in the first 67 minutes of the game, we had 8 turnovers, leading to 14 points for them; the game was basically decided there.

Reporter: You obviously know their defensive style. After a long gap facing such high-pressure, aggressive teams, is there a difference in adaptation?

James: Indeed, facing defense at this level after a long time does require some adjustment. Other teams have pressured us before, but not to this extent. Even without Alexander, they have another troublesome wing who can harass the ball. They did well; they're the defending champions, and we were mentally prepared, but we just didn't respond effectively.

Reporter: Your team's cohesion has been strong over the past month. Is this now a test for the team?

James: Nothing has changed; we'll still stick together. Injuries to key players are definitely a test, but I won't jump to conclusions too early; we'll plan based on his injury status. This is just one game, part of the season; as defending champions, we all understand that.

Reporter: If he's sidelined for some time, regardless of how long, you might need to shift from your current role to another. How would you adjust?

James: I don't know yet what role the coach will assign me. I've been playing in my current position for a while; any adjustment would require adaptation, and we'll just have to see at that time.