When Luka Doncic went down with his hamstring injury late in the regular season against the Oklahoma City Thunder, all seemed lost for the Los Angeles Lakers. This organization understands his importance, especially in the playoffs, and his presence will be needed by the Lakers if they are to get past the Houston Rockets in the first round to draw a matchup with the defending champions.
Thursday will mark four weeks since Doncic suffered his Grade 2 left hamstring strain. While Austin Reaves has progressed well from his Grade 2 oblique strain sustained in the same game and is expected to play in Game 5 against the Rockets, Doncic remains sidelined, with no clear timeline provided by the team.
However, Doncic is now entering the 4-to-6-week recovery timeline initially given, which has many wondering whether he will return in time for a potential Western Conference Semifinals showdown with the Thunder.
Ahead of Game 5 against the Rockets on Wednesday night, Doncic is still at least a week and a half away from progressing to the next step in his recovery process and being reintegrated back into practices and scrimmages, league sources told ClutchPoints on Tuesday evening.
As reported on Tuesday during an appearance on 97.7 The Fan Upstate, Doncic will miss the start of this potential series against the Thunder, assuming the Lakers handle business against the Rockets. Similar remarks were confirmed by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday morning.
Doncic has yet to resume one-on-one activities to this point. He has been seen doing light individual work during the Lakers’ practices and shootarounds.
While it’s possible head coach JJ Redick or the Lakers could provide an update on Doncic’s status after their first-round series against Houston, sources say there won’t be much clarity until around the five-week mark, which would be May 7.
The good news surrounding Doncic is that he has not suffered any setbacks and continues to slowly nurture his hamstring injury back to full health. Because of the severity of the injury and the limitations involved, Los Angeles has been in no rush to push Doncic along in this process.
If he is able to return in the playoffs, the Lakers would obviously welcome their star back to the rotation with a chance to contend for a championship on the line.
At the same time, the team also understands that there is no way to speed things up, and Doncic’s potential availability for the Western Conference Semifinals will come down to how he progresses over the next 10 days.
Although it is early, sources close to the situation said the earliest Doncic would possibly return in a series against the Thunder would be when play shifts to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4. But there is no guarantee Doncic would be available for either game, as his status over the next two weeks will be dependent on how his body heals and responds to treatment.
The Lakers do anticipate Doncic progressing to the next stage of his recovery, as long as he suffers no setbacks between now and then, by the end of next week, which would be past the five-week mark since he suffered this hamstring injury.
This next stage would include one-on-one work, as well as being reintegrated into portions of the team’s practice.
Nonetheless, the level of optimism within the organization is growing regarding Doncic’s potential return during the Western Conference Semifinals against Oklahoma City.
How Lakers have fared without Luka Doncic
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Without Doncic on the court, the Lakers have been much better than expected in their series against the Rockets. Los Angeles will have a chance to close things out at home on Wednesday night in Game 5, especially with Kevin Durant sidelined for Houston and Reaves expected to return in some capacity.
Reaves, who suffered a Grade 2 oblique strain in the same game Doncic suffered his hamstring injury against the Thunder, progressed in his recovery much quicker than the Lakers initially expected.
That is why he was listed as questionable for Games 3 and 4 in Houston, and there was a sense of belief that he would suit up for both games. However, with the Lakers coasting by their competition and Durant suffering his injury, sources said the team exercised extra caution and allowed Reaves extra time to rest and recover.
Sources say Reaves would have been available if the series were 1-1 heading into Game 3 and if the Lakers had been trailing in the series.
But none of that matters, as the Lakers are now in the driver’s seat to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals with one more win, and all signs point to Reaves making his return on Wednesday night in Game 5.
Not only has LeBron James stepped up to do all the heavy lifting without Reaves and Doncic, but the Lakers have also been given a boost by Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard through four games against the Rockets.
Although he had just seven points in the team’s Game 4 loss in Houston, Kennard has averaged 17.8 points per game while going 45.0 percent from 3-point range in this series. Smart has been a two-way menace for the Lakers, averaging 17.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 3.5 steals per game while hitting 44.4 percent from 3-point range.
As a team, the Lakers have shot 50.9 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from 3-point range. While many thought the Lakers would struggle to score without two of their top scoring options in this first-round series against the Rockets, LeBron and Smart have opened up high-percentage looks for their teammates in the half court.
With the team’s confidence growing offensively, as well as Reaves returning and Doncic continuing to take baby steps toward his eventual return, the Lakers have to feel good about being one game away from a series against the Thunder.
After all, Los Angeles is set to enter this Western Conference Semifinals series with nothing to lose against the defending champions. The Lakers are a veteran team, and when LeBron is in the playoffs, anything can happen.
Reaves should be a full-go for the start of a potential series against the Thunder, but Doncic will remain sidelined whenever things get going for Games 1 and 2 in Oklahoma City. Further updates on his potential injury return will be presented within the week when Doncic takes another step in his recovery process.
When Luka Doncic went down with his hamstring injury late in the regular season against the Oklahoma City Thunder, all seemed lost for the Los Angeles Lakers. This organization understands his importance, especially in the playoffs, and his presence will be needed by the Lakers if they are to get past the Houston Rockets in the first round to draw a matchup with the defending champions.