The Los Angeles Lakers were met with devastating news this week when it was announced star point guard Luka Doncic would be sidelined for a while with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Doncic, 27, was amidst a majestic stretch of basketball, scoring in bunches and making his way into the NBA MVP conversation, all while leading the Lakers to 16 victories in their last 18 games.
Doncic’s injury comes at an unfortunate time. Although Los Angeles has locked in its ticket to the playoffs and sits at third place in a tight Western Conference, there are still a few games left in the regular season, and a whole lot could change between now and then.
L.A.’s engine was powered all season by Doncic, the league’s leading scorer and someone who had come off scoring a total of 600 points in March. In NBA history, only James Harden in 2019, and Michael Jordan in 1987, tallied a higher number in a single month.
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 18: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Toyota Center on March 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Reports suggest Doncic will be out at least three weeks, with the potential of that timeline extending to six weeks. The Lakers may not even have that much time left in their season, even if Doncic meets the best-case scenario in his return.
For now, fans are hopeful Doncic can recover miraculously fast and get back out on the court. Especially with the Lakers also losing Austin Reaves for potentially even longer than Doncic, hopes in Los Angeles are hanging on by a thread.
Injury expert shares encouraging insight on Luka Doncic’s injury
With how dominant Doncic looked up until he went down during Thursday’s game in Oklahoma City, some were already crowing him as the front-runner for the Michael Jordan Trophy.
Doncic had been undeniably special and positing numbers the league has rarely seen in the past. L.A. was clicking at the right time and its Big Three was playing like the best trio in the Association.
Doncic was also carrying quite the load as he went on his scoring avalanches throughout March. As is the case with all injuries, at some point that extra intensity can catch up.
An injury like the one Doncic suffered is typically caused by heavier wear and tear. Of course that isn’t his or anyone else’s fault, it is just the tough nature of sports.
For now, Doncic and the Lakers have to accept a new reality.
Doncic may be out for a while, but there also may be a way he could return ahead of schedule, according to CBS Sports injury analyst Marty Jaramillo.
“We have to really work immediately to control that inflammation,” Jaramillo said, explaining the mechanisms of a hamstring strain. “We have to heal it, we have to gently reload it, gently train it, then we have to get [the player] to trust [the hamstring] again.
“Luka of last year, well guess what? This would be season-ending. Luka today, well absolutely, I am betting on him.”
Is Doncic better positioned to come back from this injury faster?
Doncic, as Jaramillo noted, has dealt with tricky soft-tissue injuries like this in the past.
That is good in one respect. The Lakers star has the experience and knows how to recover his body from such ailments. Of course, it is not so good from the standpoint of him seeing these kinds of injuries pop up rather often.
Doncic is 6-foot-7 and at least 240 pounds. He isn’t particularly light but certainly isn’t heavy enough that this injury will take a long time to heal, though granted, everyone’s body is different.
Doncic has shown in the past he can bounce back from tissue injuries and look like himself again. Fans shouldn’t be particularly worried about him in the long-run, and there is enough hope at play that he could return if the Lakers can sneak past the first round.
If Doncic can meet the very short end of the reported injury timeline, he could return just one week into the playoffs.
Game 1 of the opening round for L.A. will either be April 18 or 19.
Luka Doncic Injury Update: Expert Sees Strong Chance of Playoff Return