During an opening night battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, the home team was playing without superstar LeBron James.

LeBron missed the preseason with a very specific injury and the Lakers are still awaiting his return. It is unclear when he can get back to action, so in the meanwhile, Los Angeles is led by Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. LeBron is only watching from the sidelines, in street clothes not on the court, as his team begins the season.

However, on the first night of the season against the Warriors, it was hard not to notice the four-time NBA Finals MVP. It was the only time in his career had ever missed the first game of the season.

Watch him on the very far end of the bench on the top left of the screen, sitting next to his son Bronny while wearing a dark suit.

In each of the clips, there is no reaction nor cheering from LeBron. It's just basic stoicism:

Fans noticed his lack of enthusiasm and couldn't help but share their thoughts.

He was described as "disconnected" and was seen "not interacting" with the team or coaches.

At one point in the game, he even took a sip of coffee like he was a fan.

It was pretty awkward:

It isn't smart to read too much into body language or vibes without knowing the full context.

However, it's hard to fault anyone who felt some of the faces LeBron was caught making seemed a bit concerning:

This is absolutely something to monitor as the season progresses.

Especially if LeBron's injury recovery is longer than expected, hopefully, this isn't a recurring issue.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: LeBron's unenthusiastic body language on Lakers bench alarmed fans

Reporting by Bryan Kalbrosky, For The Win / For The Win

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect