The Los Angeles Lakers have been missing Luka Doncic throughout the entire playoff run in 2026.
Throughout the first seven games of LA’s postseason, a lot of updates have painted many different pictures of the guard’s current state.
On Wednesday, Doncic officially addressed his situation with reporters for the first time in a while to offer his own personal update.
Luka Doncic Speaks On His Injury After Lakers’ Loss vs Thunder
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, Doncic confirmed that he has started running. That counts as a part of his return-to-play progress.
The star guard added that when he initially was diagnosed with his hamstring strain, he was placed on an eight-week timeline. He’s approaching the five-week mark, which surely places a major question mark on his availability for the second round.
The Lakers Are Surviving, But For How Long?
Going into the first round series against the Houston Rockets, the Lakers were viewed as heavy underdogs. Without Doncic on the court, not many believed that the lack of Doncic’s scoring punch would affect the Lakers to the point where the Rockets would have a breeze in round one.
Not only did the Lakers catch a break with the Kevin Durant injury in round one, but they ended up shocking the basketball world with a stellar performance in Doncic’s absence.
The Lakers took out the Rockets in six games, but they are off to a 0-1 start against the Thunder in round two. Following Tuesday’s action, LeBron James noted that Doncic’s absence surely affected them in against OKC.
“We have a guy that averaged 37 a game (not in the lineup),” James said after the loss, via LakersNation.
“We’re playing against the No. 1 defensive team in the NBA, as far as the ratings and everything. And when you play against great defenses, you have to have guys that can attract multiple defenders on the floor at all times. I feel like we got some great shots tonight, and we missed them. When you play against the World Champions, having a guy that averages 34-8-9, whatever the hell it is, that’s special.”
The Lakers haven’t had Luka Doncic on the court since their April 2 matchup against the Thunder. He missed the final five games of the regular season and remains out without a timeline for his return in the playoffs.