The Los Angeles Lakers were getting destroyed by the Thunder in the second quarter when Luka Doncic began grabbing at his hamstring. Instead of taking out his superstar out in a game they had already lost, head coach JJ Redick left him in. This was a disastrous night, and the Lakers weren’t coming back. They have the third seed virtually locked. There was no reason to keep number 77 in the game, but Redick did.
Doncic clearly made the injury worse in the third quarter. He was visibly upset when leaving the floor. Luka was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game, and an MRI was set for Friday. It didn’t look good, and Redick could have avoided it all by taking out his superstar.
There was no reason to keep him in. The Lakers weren’t defeating the Thunder. The game was over after the first quarter. Luka was clearly hurt. He had been dealing with a hamstring issue for over a week. Redick didn’t protect his star, and now the entire Lakers nation is paying the price.
JJ Redick refuses to take Luka Doncic out when clearly injured
Fans know Luka is no stranger to soft tissue injuries. He missed time earlier this season with a left hamstring injury. Doncic was listed as questionable against the Brooklyn Nets on March 27 with a hamstring issue. This was a known problem that Luka clearly made worse in the first half. The contest was decided. Why didn’t Redick take him out?
Fans will never get the true answer. Luka wanted to play. He is the ultimate competitor. Doncic will always want to play. That is why the coach must step in and save the player from himself. Redick could have done that on Thursday night before things got so much worse.
Luka Doncic will likely miss multiple games with this hamstring injury. The Lakers have zero reason to play him before the playoffs. It will keep number 77 off first-team All-NBA and MVP ballots, but the focus has to be on making a deep playoff run. The Lakers need a healthy Doncic for that, and it will only happen with plenty of rest.
The postseason is just two weeks away, so fans have to hope for a Grade 1 strain and a speedy recovery. If not, Luka will miss the start of the playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick let everyone down in Oklahoma City. The team got blitzed by the defending champions after a fantastic month. That would have been acceptable, but leaving Luka Doncic in when he was clearly injured and the Lakers had nothing to play for wasn’t.
Redick deserves plenty of blame here. Just take him out. The game was over, and Los Angeles needs their star in the playoffs. Redick’s heavy minutes and refusal to rest his stars caught up to him at the worst possible time. Hopefully, it is a fast recovery from Luka and a lesson learned for JJ.