The worst possible news has arrived for the Lakers as Luka Dončić will reportedly miss the rest of the regular season with a left hamstring strain.
He is out indefinitely, meaning that his status for the postseason is now in question.
Luka’s hamstring has been diagnosed
as a Grade 2 strain, which is likely why there is no timetable for his return. The average injury time for a Grade 2 strain is typically over a month.
Luka injured his hamstring during LA’s recent game against Oklahoma City. He exited in the third quarter and did not return. After the loss, head coach JJ Redick stated that Luka had tweaked his hamstring in the first half but was cleared to play.
This isn’t the first time Luka has dealt with a hamstring strain this season. Before the All-Star break, Dončić missed games due to a mild hamstring strain that was considered day-to-day. He still played in the All-Star Game and returned to action after the break, but is now once again dealing with a hamstring injury.
Considering how tricky recovery for a hamstring strain is, the Lakers will undoubtedly proceed with an abundance of caution with this injury to their superstar guard.
With Luka out, the Lakers’ hopes for a string end to the season and a playoff run are essentially dashed. He is clearly their best player and was having an MVP-caliber season.
Luka was averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game.
He was the NBA’s leading scorer, was named Player of the Western Conference in January and March, and was coming off a historic month where he scored 600 points.
Now the Lakers will have to try to win without him for the rest of the season and potentially even during the postseason.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
