All-Star guard Luka Doncic is reportedly targeting a return in Game 4 of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder second-round playoff series, which gets underway with Game 1 on Tuesday night.
According to Slovenian outlet Ekipa, Doncic’s recovery is “progressing slowly,” but the Laker star is hoping to suit up for Game 4 on May 11 at the Crypto.com Arena.
“He is still not running at full intensity, nor is he training with full contact.
“This, of course, means that his return is still a long way off, and according to some information, we could see him on the court around Game 4 against Oklahoma. But this is still premature information, given the current situation.”
Luka Doncic Return Timeline
When Doncic sustained a grade 2 hamstring strain on April 2, he was expected to miss four to six weeks of action. Based on that return timeline, the May 11 date would mark approximately six weeks.
It was previously speculated that Doncic could return earlier than his initial timeline after he sought specialized cell-based therapy in Spain. However, it appears that his alternative treatment in Europe did not expedite his recovery — something former Lakers trainer Gary Vitti had warned about when Doncic traveled to Madrid.
ESPN’s Shams Charania also reported on Sunday that Doncic was progressing more slowly than expected from his grade 2 hamstring strain.
“One source told me in the last few days, ‘It’s still a slow path on Doncic’s recovery,’” Charania told “Inside the NBA” on ESPN. “He’s doing more and more on the court, but still not full-fledged running or full contact workouts.”
Luka Doncic Injury Update
Amid speculation about his recovery, longtime Lakers announcer John Ireland dropped a bombshell over the weekend, saying that Doncic was “not close” to returning because he had yet to begin running.
For what it’s worth, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel offered a more optimistic update on Saturday, reporting that Doncic was slated to be reevaluated in a week.
“I’m told he’s being re-evaluated next week before potentially being cleared to increase his workouts/practice,” Siegel reported on Saturday.
“Won’t have a chance to return before the 2nd week of the series.”
The Lakers likely have no chance of competing against, let alone beating, the Thunder without Doncic, their best player and leading scorer. That’s precisely why OKC head coach Mark Daigneault is hopeful that Doncic would return at some point in the series.
“It’d be the best for everybody if everybody was available all of the time,” Daigneault said about the Luka Doncic injury on Saturday, via The Oklahoman’s Justin Martinez.
“It’d be the best product for the fans, the best for the league, and the best for the teams and the best for the players. It’s obviously not realistic. But we go into every series preparing for every possibility, and we’ll go into this series prepared.”
The Lakers are significant +950 underdogs to advance to the Western Conference Finals. JJ Redick’s team enters Game 1 as a 15.5-point underdog.
Lakers Get New Luka Doncic Injury Update and Return Date for OKC Series