Lakers fans will be disappointed to hear this news, but looks as though even if they beat the Rockets and advance, Luka Doncic won’t return to the court.
There was optimism that Luka would be available if the Lakers advance past the Rockets to face the Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.
There were even rumors he could come back this round from a hamstring injury he suffered at the end of the regular season, but ESPN’s Shams Charania has given everyone a reality check.
“My understanding is it is a slow path on the recovery front for Luka,” Shams said. “The expectation is if the Lakers are able to beat Houston and advance, Luka Dončić will be out for the next series. There’s still no timetable for him as of right now. He’s starting to do more court movement, as JJ Redick said the other day, but he is not at the point where he’s progressing in his on-court workouts as far as one on ones and truly pushing it on a movement front.”
The general timetable for a return from a Grade 2 hamstring strain is around four to six weeks.
Six weeks from the day he suffered the injury would be very late in the second round of the playoffs, depending on the schedule of games.
But, as we know with hamstring injuries – eg case and point Kevin Durant 2019 NBA Finals – it’s not the type of injury you want to rush a player back from.
Before Game 4, JJ Redick explained that Doncic had already started movement on the court as he continues his left hamstring strain rehabilitation.
“He just continues to kind of do some stuff on the court,” Redick said. “Was able to move a little bit today on the court, which you know, most of the stuff has been standstill. So he’s progressing, but no update on any timeline or anything like that.”
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