Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic’s grade 2 hamstring strain couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Doncic hasn’t played since the injury on April 2; he hasn’t played yet in the playoffs. The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA has left a massive void in the Lakers in the process.
While the No. 4 seed Lakers dispatched the No. 5 seed Houston Rockets in six games, Los Angeles looks outmatched by the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder already after one game. The defending NBA champions won comfortably, 108–90, on Tuesday, and Doncic can only watch for the foreseeable future.
“It’s very frustrating,” Doncic told reporters on Wednesday. “I don’t think people understand how frustrating it is. All I want to do is play basketball, especially this time. It’s the best time to play basketball.”
“It’s very frustrating seeing what my team is doing,” he added. “I’m very proud of them. It’s been very tough to just to sit and watch them play.”
Grade 2 hamstring strains take several months to heal, per the Cleveland Clinic. Doncic, as an all-world athlete, could take less time, but the outlook isn’t promising at the moment.
“The day I did the MRI on the hamstring, the doctor told me eight weeks [recovery] at the beginning,” Doncic said. “I’m doing everything I can in the process, and I think we’re on a good way. But at the beginning, he told me eight weeks.”
That means Doncic has another three weeks to go, based on what the doctors originally told him. Los Angeles would have to win the Thunder series without him and, if the team advanced, possibly play most, if not all, of the Western Conference finals without him.
Doncic had been enjoying one of the best years of his career with 33.5 points. 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 64 games. The Lakers went 0–4 against the Thunder with or without Doncic for a full game this season.
“I’m just doing everything I can,” Doncic explained. “Every day, I’m doing stuff I’m supposed to do. Obviously recovery, now I’m working. … Just going day by day, and I feel better every day.”
Doncic has been running but not involved in contact drills, he said. The Lakers likely won’t have Doncic back later in the series, based on the general recovery timeframe.
Doncic has made an extra effort to get back on the court with platelet-rich plasma therapy, which he had done when he went to Spain after the injury. The injections provide a patient with blood that has more platelets, which can aid cell reproduction and tissue regeneration, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
“Everybody knows that Spain, they’re just one of the best countries to do that,” Doncic said. “And obviously, I talked with the Lakers’ doctors, so everybody agreed for me to go there.”
That said, Doncic doesn’t want to hurry too much in looking at the big picture.
“It’s a tough one for me because I came back from injuries before too soon, and it wasn’t the best result,” Doncic said. “You have to be very careful, and I’m doing everything to come back. All the recovery, the [hyperbaric] chamber, cold tub, everything I can to come back, but it’s obviously very different than other injuries I had.”
What Doncic will do with the rest of the Thunder series remains unknown, but he is confident his teammates can keep the season going.
“Everybody had us out,” Doncic said. “Everybody had us [losing in] five, six games … and we proved it. We can play. The way everybody stepped up is truly amazing to see. So hopefully they continue that.”
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