The Los Angeles Lakers received devastating news on Friday, as superstar Luka Doncic — who leads the NBA in scoring and had recorded 30 or more points in 13 of his last 14 games — reportedly sustained a Grade 2 hamstring strain in Thursday night’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Doncic exited the game in the third quarter and did not return. After undergoing an MRI, the severity of the injury was confirmed, and he has since been ruled out for the final five games of the regular season. His status for the postseason remains uncertain, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
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However, longtime sports doctor David J. Chao — who served as an NFL team physician for 17 seasons — provided further insight into a potential recovery timeline. According to Chao, Doncic could be sidelined for roughly four weeks before a return becomes plausible.
“Doncic is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks, a timeline that could delay his return until the second round of the playoffs at the earliest, or possibly the Western Conference Finals if the Lakers advance that far,” Chao noted in a report from Sports Injury Central.
The Lakers currently sit as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and were one of the hottest teams in March, largely thanks to Luka Doncic on 41-year-old LeBron James — still performing at an elite level — and Austin Reaves to carry the offensive load.
If there’s any silver lining, it’s that the Lakers can now deploy stronger defensive lineups. But replicating the 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds Doncic was producing simply isn’t feasible.
They’ll need to focus on defense and hope others step up alongside James and Reaves to keep the team competitive and potentially reach the second round, where Doncic could return.
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