The Los Angeles Lakers continue to be without Luke Doncic and the star provided a grim injury update during the team’s playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Will Doncic play in Game 4 of the Thunder-Lakers series?
Not only is Doncic expected to miss the Lakers’ next game, but it is difficult to find a reputable sign for optimism on the star’s potential return with Los Angeles trailing in the playoff series. Doncic revealed that his original injury timeline was eight weeks.
As a reminder, Doncic has not played since April 2, which would put the star’s projected return timeline around June 2. For context, the NBA Finals is slated to start on June 3.
The Lakers likely need to make the NBA Finals for Doncic to have a chance at playing again this season. Doncic’s May 6, media session was the first time a legit injury timeline emerged from anyone related to the Lakers. The star has yet to practice with contact.
“Yeah, I’m running. Right now I’m running, but I haven’t done any contact,” Doncic explained to reporters . “… The day I did the MRI on the hamstring, you know, the doctor told me eight weeks at the beginning.
“So, I’m doing everything I can in the process. I think we’re on a good way. But at the beginning he told me eight weeks.”
Here’s what you need to know about Doncic’s injury.
Lakers Star Luka Doncic Is Not Expected ‘To Be Playing in the Playoffs Any Time Soon’: Insider
Doncic has been sidelined for the entire NBA playoffs so far as the guard recovers from a hamstring injury. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Doncic does not look like a player who is returning to the court any time soon.
“Luka Doncic just spoke to us for the first time since the injury yesterday and he said that (after) his initial MRI, the doctor told him it would be an eight-week recovery window,” McMenamin noted in a May 7, edition of “SportsCenter.” “Today marks five weeks. Game 4 would be six weeks. Which is basically Luka saying without explicitly saying it that you’re not gonna see him in the second round against the OKC Thunder.
“He’s been able to run thus far. He’s done no contact drills. He said he continues to improve day by day. But when we talked to him yesterday, and we saw this guy’s dejected body language, it didn’t look like a person who plans to be playing in the playoffs any time soon.”
Luka Doncic Is Expected to Miss the Entire Thunder-Lakers Playoff Series: Report
All this tracks with the lengthy return window that has been reported all along. While the Lakers declined to release an exact timeline, ESPN’s Shams Charania previously reported that Doncic was expected to miss the entire second round series.
“I’m just doing everything I can, like I said,” Doncic said of his recovery. “Every day I’m doing stuff I’m supposed to do.
“You know, obviously recovering, now I’m working (out). But as the doctor said, eight weeks at the beginning of the first MRI. So, you know, just going day by day, and I feel better every day.”
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