Second-year Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick provided an update on Luka Doncic’s injury recovery and how long the Slovenian will be away from the team after Tuesday’s 123-87 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
When asked how long Doncic will stay in Spain and about his conversations with the NBA’s scoring leader, Redick said his best player is eager to rejoin his teammates.
“I’m not gonna share how long he’s going to be over there, but I think he’s in good spirits,” Redick responded, via Lakers Nation’s Daniel Starkand.
“I think he’s, in my conversations with him, he’s motivated to do everything possible. I know for him, it’s hard for him not to be on a basketball court. That’s his happy place.
“He’s one of the handful of guys that really play year round, and it’s not just international competition, but he likes to be in the gym. He likes to be working on his craft, and I think it’s hard for him. He wants to get back on the court.”
Luka Doncic Injury Update
Doncic is currently in Madrid, Spain, to seek alternative treatment for his strained hamstring, a decision that has sparked mixed emotions. Sports doctor Brian Sutterer, MD, recently indicated that Doncic’s decision was disrespectful to the Lakers’ medical staff, as there’s no “literature-proven” European treatment that would help him fast-track his recovery, which is expected to be around four to six weeks.
“I’d love to get the honest reaction of the Lakers medical staff essentially being told they aren’t good enough to rehab a hamstring strain,” Sutterer wrote on X.
“We have great literature showing good old American made platelet poor and rich plasma injections speed up hamstring recovery and decrease repeat injury
“Not aware of anything in Europe that would make a literature proven difference.”
Lakers Wait For Doncic to Heal
On Tuesday, Doncic was seen signing autographs for fans outside his hotel in Madrid. Meanwhile, across the pond, his teammates were blown out by the reigning NBA champions. After the loss, Redick admitted that the Lakers, who also lost Austin Reaves (oblique strain) to a month-long injury last week, had no option but to soldier on.
“You obviously have to tackle the situation in front of you,” Redick said of the Lakers injury woes, via Lakers Nation.
“We have a unique situation in front of us and we gotta prepare our team, our group that we have available, to play in a playoff series. That’s how we approach the next four games, how we approach next week leading into Game 1.
“Like I said, it’s finding who’s gonna be able to play in the playoffs for us. That all goes into it. The seeding part probably went out the window after the OKC game.”
Redick earlier said the Lakers “expect” to get Doncic and Reaves back in the playoffs and aim to extend their season until their backcourt stars return.
The Lakers (50-29) will next face the Golden State Warriors (37-42) on Thursday night. Thereafter, they will conclude their season with games against the Phoenix Suns on Friday and the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
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