Despite entering the All-Star break injured, Luka Dončić seems to be heading towards a good place regarding his hamstring. The Laker superstar has missed the last four games due to the injury, and currently, his availability for the All-Star game is up in the air.
However, the Lakers have remained optimistic that he avoided a major injury to his right hamstring and that the ailment is mild, with the team considering him day-to-day.
Well, the days have been stacking up, but the internal concern has
not. Lakers head coach JJ Redick gave another update prior to the team’s last game before the All-Star break and seems confident that he’ll be back once the Lakers return to the court on Feb. 20 against the Clippers.
“He’s progressed really good,” Redick said. “I think part of him wanted to push to get back prior to the break. But we got to be cautious with the soft tissue injuries. Obviously, we were very cautious with Austin and you just saw what happened with Jalen Williams coming back. We all feel comfortable with the decision to hold him out and should be good to go post All-Star.”
Anytime a team’s superstar misses extended time, it can cause worry, but JJ Redick calmed down most concerns with this update on Luka.
It might be overanalysis, but Redick saying “they feel comfortable with the decision to hold him out” makes it seem like they could’ve pushed him to play now. Which means that if he gets an additional week of rest when he can already play, he should be ready to go when the Clippers come to Crypto.com Arena.
Obviously, given Luka’s importance to the Lakers, the last thing he needs to do is rush back from a hamstring injury. So, if this move is LA being overly cautious, so when Luka comes back, he has no setbacks, then it’s the right decision.
Regarding his status for the All-Star Game, Redick kept things short. “It’s above my pay grade,” Redick said.
With the Lakers about to enter the most important stretch of the year, hopefully, Luka returns and never misses another game this season. LA will be fighting for playoff positioning and will need him healthy to reach their full potential.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
