James initially injured his groin during the Lakers’ Christmas Day matchup against the Warriors and was sidelined for five weeks, missing 17 games.
The four-time MVP made his return against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday but admitted he was not at 100 per cent.
The Lakers prepared a game plan to face the Warriors with James in the lineup, but they had to make late adjustments when they found out he would not be able to play against Golden State.
“I thought it probably threw us off a little bit early,” explained Walton. “Just because our pregame shootaround was one game plan and once we found out he wasn’t going to play we switched some of that.
“It took us to time to adjust to what the new game plan was. And because of that we were a little late on rotations, things of that nature. But our guys, they do a heck of a job competing … they did a nice job of getting better as the game went on.”
It was reported after the game that Walton was involved in a bust-up with the experienced players on his roster over a perceived selfish approach.
However, the head coach praised his team’s effort on defense and felt that was key to Lakers being able to stay in the game.
“Our defense turned it up a lot, really,” said Walton. “I felt like we got engaged on the defensive end first and we started to find a rhythm offensively, making some shots. Really, really competing. Just getting lost in the competition, which we talk about all the time, but I think it started with our defensive engagement.”
The Lakers are 6-12 when playing without James this season and sit 10th in the Western Conference.
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