The Lakers may have just extended their season by at least four games by advancing to the second round, but it does not mean a return for Luka Dončić is imminent. In fact, it sounds like he’s pretty far away from getting back on the court.
During Friday’s Prime broadcast of Game 6, sideline reporter Cassidy Hubbarth provided a bit of insight as to where Luka is right now in terms of his return.
For those without Twitter/X, here’s her brief report:
“There’s been no timeline. There has been some progress on the court. He’s now doing some movement work in drills, getting up shots. But it is controlled. He hasn’t advanced to 1-on-1 or full-contact work yet. He’s not into any scrimmages so it’s a little than just spot shooting but still a step away from anything live…This remains a slow build towards a return, not an imminent one.”
To add to that a little bit, there was also a report of sorts going around Twitter/X last night that, while I could not find the original source to verify as it came from John Ireland as part of pregame radio coverage, it did fall in line with Hubbarth’s report.
None of this is much of a surprise given the reports about him throughout the first round. The most recent indicated that, at the very least, he would not be available at the start of this second-round series.
It’s very to note that things advanced pretty rapidly with Austin Reaves, who went from starting on-court work to questionable in only a matter of days. However, don’t expect that same type of progress with Luka as a hamstring injury is much different than an oblique injury.
Hamstring injuries generally are a much slower recovery and run a high risk of re-injury. The Lakers can’t rush the process. It does seem like the trip to Europe for Luka didn’t change his timeline all that much, though.
What also isn’t working in Luka’s favor is the pacing of the series. After the first round was spaced out with multiple days of rest between games on more than one occasion, that won’t be the case in the second round. The only time there will be more than one day of rest between games will be between Game 5 and Game 6.
While the Lakers and Rockets played 6 games in 14 days, the entire second round series will span 13 days even if it goes seven games.
None of this is painting a very promising picture for Luka’s return. Things can change, obviously, but the Lakers are almost certainly going to have to extend their season multiple games to get Luka back.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
