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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – APRIL 02: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers brings the ball up court during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. <\/p>\n
Second-year Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> head coach JJ Redick provided an update on Luka Doncic\u2019s injury recovery and how long the Slovenian will be away from the team after Tuesday\u2019s 123-87 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n When asked how long Doncic will stay in Spain and about his conversations with the NBA\u2019s scoring leader, Redick said his best player is eager to rejoin his teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not gonna share how long he\u2019s going to be over there, but I think he\u2019s in good spirits,\u201d Redick responded, via Lakers Nation\u2019s Daniel Starkand.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s, in my conversations with him, he\u2019s motivated to do everything possible. I know for him, it\u2019s hard for him not to be on a basketball court. That\u2019s his happy place.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s one of the handful of guys that really play year round, and it\u2019s not just international competition, but he likes to be in the gym. He likes to be working on his craft, and I think it\u2019s hard for him. He wants to get back on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n JJ Redick on how long Luka will be in Europe and the conversations he\u2019s had with the #Lakers<\/a> star since getting injured:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not gonna share how long he\u2019s going to be over there, but I think he\u2019s in good spirits. I think he\u2019s, in my conversations with him, he\u2019s motivated to do<\/p>\n Luka Doncic Injury Update<\/p>\n Doncic is currently in Madrid, Spain, to seek alternative treatment for his strained hamstring, a decision that has sparked mixed emotions. Sports doctor Brian Sutterer, MD, recently indicated that Doncic\u2019s decision was disrespectful to the Lakers\u2019 medical staff, as there\u2019s no \u201cliterature-proven\u201d European treatment that would help him fast-track his recovery<\/a>, which is expected to be around four to six weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love to get the honest reaction of the Lakers medical staff essentially being told they aren\u2019t good enough to rehab a hamstring strain,\u201d Sutterer\u00a0wrote on X.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe have great literature showing good old American made platelet poor and rich plasma injections speed up hamstring recovery and decrease repeat injury<\/p>\n \u201cNot aware of anything in Europe that would make a literature proven difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Lakers Wait For Doncic to Heal<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Doncic was seen signing autographs for fans outside his hotel in Madrid. Meanwhile, across the pond, his teammates were blown out by the reigning NBA<\/a> champions. After the loss, Redick admitted that the Lakers, who also lost Austin Reaves (oblique strain) to a month-long injury last week, had no option but to soldier on.<\/p>\n \u201cYou obviously have to tackle the situation in front of you,\u201d Redick said of the Lakers injury woes, via Lakers Nation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a unique situation in front of us and we gotta prepare our team, our group that we have available, to play in a playoff series. That\u2019s how we approach the next four games, how we approach next week leading into Game 1.<\/p>\n \u201cLike I said, it\u2019s finding who\u2019s gonna be able to play in the playoffs for us. That all goes into it. The seeding part probably went out the window after the OKC game.\u201d<\/p>\n Redick earlier said the Lakers \u201cexpect\u201d to get Doncic and Reaves back in the playoffs and aim to extend their season until their backcourt stars return.<\/p>\n The Lakers (50-29) will next face the Golden State Warriors<\/a> (37-42) on Thursday night. Thereafter, they will conclude their season with games against the Phoenix Suns<\/a> on Friday and the Utah Jazz on Sunday.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSai Mohan<\/a> covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t