The Lakers had little choice in their return to Los Angeles on Sunday night, choosing a style of play rather than choosing it.

LeBron James, who was upgraded to “probable” earlier in the day, was suddenly on his way out of the lineup, his sore foot so bad that his dream of an 82-game season ended Sunday night.

Without James and still without Austin Reaves, Lakers coach JJ Redick said his team needs to play with distinct traits.

Read more: LeBron James misses the shot at the final whistle in the Lakers’ wild overtime loss to the Hawks

“We have to move,” Redick said before the game. “We have to cut back. We have to pass. We have to play in transition.”

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Redick has said he wants the Lakers to play with James on the court.

Without him in Sunday night’s 107-98 win over Portland, the Lakers didn’t need a single hero to lead the way. The stars of the game changed from moment to moment – Anthony Davis dominated the field early on. The defense of Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent sparked the Lakers’ first great run. Rui Hachimura in front of his compatriot Shohei Ohtani divided the defense efficiently. And D’Angelo Russell got into the rhythm first by doing the little things and then the flashy things, hitting the crowd-pleasing three-pointers that temporarily helped the Lakers rise a season ago.

Davis finished the game with 30 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. With 28 points and 14 assists coming off the bench, Russell set season highs and gave the Lakers’ second unit some much-needed teeth. And Hachimura scored a season-high 23 on just 13 shots and four steals.

As the Lakers have faced something of an identity crisis early in the season, their offensive style has shifted from Redick’s preferred motion-based system to more deliberate basketball. Of course, part of that has to do with Reaves missing the last five games, meaning the Lakers lost one of their most important halfcourt weapons. However, part of that is because James admitted he adjusted the Lakers’ plans.

The team’s difficulty finding the right compromise was a guaranteed challenge. Early season buy-in and execution would certainly suffer as old habits resurface. The challenge now for Redick and the players is to get back to the person they were early on and reinforce that they should be the person moving forward.

A game like Sunday’s, even against the third-worst team in the West, can be beneficial for the team as it becomes healthier and the challenges increase.

The Lakers now have four days off before playing the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Time they need to rest, recover and reconsider what type of basketball they should be playing.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.