Slovenian guard Luka Doncic will reportedly return to the United States this Friday after undergoing two rounds of cell-based therapy in Madrid, Spain, to treat his injured hamstring. Incidentally, the Los Angeles Lakers will begin their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets the following day.
So, is there a realistic chance that Doncic can return at some point during the seven-game series against Kevin Durant and Co.?
A source close to Doncic remains “optimistic” that the Lakers guard could potentially return for Game 3, 4 or 5 — provided JJ Redick’s team can stay alive in the series.
“It will be 11 days since the injury tonight,” Ekipa’s Andrej Miljkovic wrote on Monday, referencing that Doncic sustained a grade 2 hamstring strain on April 2.
“The infamous 35 [day recovery timeline] means that he would definitely miss the entire first round of the playoffs, and in that case, it is really hard to imagine the Lakers eliminating Houston.
“Those who are more optimistic, however, assume that LA can pull off a victory and that Luka can return for the third, fourth, or at the latest the fifth game.”
Luka Doncic Return Timeline
Based on the aforementioned timeline, Doncic would need to be medically cleared to return around April 25-26, when Houston would have hosted Games 3 and 4 and the series would have shifted back to Los Angeles for Game 5. As such, Doncic may have a window of eight to ten days to try to save the Lakers’ season.
Of course, all those projections go out the window if the Rockets jump out to a 3-0 lead, making a Luka Doncic return almost unnecessary.
Many analysts project the Rockets to make quick work of the Lakers, given that a 41-year-old LeBron James would have too much on his plate.
“Rockets in 5,” NBA.com’s John Schuhmann wrote while making his pick.
“With the status of Doncic and [Austin] Reaves in doubt, it becomes a much easier pick. Houston has multiple defenders to keep James somewhat in check, but the Lakers could struggle to stop both Durant and [Alperen] Sengun.”
Lakers to Reevaluate Luka Doncic
For what it’s worth, the Lakers have not yet completely ruled out Doncic for the playoff series against the Rockets. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers will reevaluate Doncic’s hamstring strain recovery after he touches down in L.A. on Friday.
Last week, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne also hinted that Doncic could be back for the latter half of the first-round playoff series against the Rockets.
“From what I understand, there’s a chance Luka could come back later in the first round,” she reported. “He’s in Spain, he’s getting treatment every day. A lot of people on the team are talking to him every day. He’s engaged.”
The typical recovery timeline for a grade 2 hamstring strain is four to six weeks. However, Doncic reportedly sought an alternative treatment plan by visiting Javier Barrio, a sports doctor at his former club, Real Madrid, in hopes of expediting his return and rejoining his Lakers teammates for the playoffs.
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