The Los Angeles Lakers have advanced to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, but Luka Doncic still isn't close to returning. A new update from ESPN's Brian Windhorst on Friday night suggested that Luka might not appear at all in the upcoming series against the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
"He's not close," Windhorst said of Luka, explaining that Doncic must go through a "ramp up" period of 3 vs. 3 and 5 vs. 5 scrimmages before returning, none of which he's begun.
Luka Doncic is not close to returning to court for Lakers-Thunder
Doncic suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain on April 2 against the Thunder, and he's been sidelined for a month since. While Luka's injured running mate, Austin Reaves, has returned to action, Luka's recovery is taking much longer.
"Most likely you're not gonna see Luka Doncic at the front end of this series, maybe at least for another week to 10 days ... (at) the minimum," Windhorst continued. "So the Lakers are gonna have a reality ... without (him)."
Windorst did point out that Luka and the Lakers benefit from their second-round series starting as late as possible on Tuesday, as this pushes the series back in the calendar and allows for more recovery time for Doncic.
Even so, Windhorst asserted that he'd be very surprised if Doncic returned to the court at the end of the second round and was able to help the Lakers.
Lakers need Rui Hachimura to help make up for Luka's absence
The Lakers will continue to rely on a collective effort without Luka available. Guys like Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart stepped up early on in the Rockets series, and then Austin Reaves provided a boost late, as did Rui Hachimura.
Hachimura will be key in the Thunder series. Given how tiny LA's margin of error is against OKC, Hachimura will have to be the type of offensive threat that he was in Game 6 against Houston, in which he shot 5-of-7 from downtown and dropped 21 points.
The good news for the Lakers on that front is that Rui's Game 6 wasn't a fluke. He's a known playoff riser, and he happens to be shooting 58.6 percent from 3 in these playoffs (17-of-29).
But with Reaves still working his way back into form, immense pressure remains on the shoulders of LeBron James. How much more weight can the King carry at 41 years young? We're about to find out.
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