According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Luka Doncic will be out indefinitely due to a left hamstring strain. He will miss the remainder of the regular season, and his status beyond that is uncertain. His injury was announced to be a Grade 2 hamstring strain. The injury occurred on Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Cleveland Clinic defines a Grade 2 hamstring strain as “a moderate strain with some muscle tearing (a partial tear),” noting that recovery could take several months. Meanwhile, Total Orthopedic Care states that a person who suffers a Grade 2 hamstring strain could return to sports in four to six weeks. Other sites mention a three- to eight-week recovery time, but it could take longer.
Based on those numbers, Doncic may not make it back in time for playoff basketball.
With 7:41 to go in the third quarter, Doncic dribbled the ball down the court. The Lakers were losing 90-58 at that point. As he drove into Jalen Williams, he stopped short, dropped the ball, and limped to the baseline.
It was clear that he was injured, and now, the injury has been confirmed. Doncic could miss the rest of the year, playoffs included, leaving the Lakers in quite a rough predicament.
Prior to getting injured, Doncic was playing some of the best basketball of his entire career. Not just his Lakers tenure, but of his entire career. And LA was rolling.
They had won 16 of their last 18 games, pushing all the way up to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, behind only the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, who have been atop the conference for almost the entire season.
In his last 14 games, Doncic has averaged 37.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.3 assists while shooting 48.5% from the field and 38.8% from deep on 13.1 three-point attempts per contest.
And above all else, as noted, the Lakers were winning. Doncic was playing out of his mind, and the Lakers were winning a ton of basketball games. Everything was great in LA, and it seemed as though they were peaking at the right time: Right before the start of the playoffs.
But now, it seems as though the Lakers' postseason run could be over before it even begins. They’ll still be there, but will they be able to compete effectively without Doncic on the floor?
Maybe he could make a speedy recovery and return for the second round. Or even the late stages of Round 1. But even that seems unlikely.
The Lakers’ season is very much in danger.