Luka Doncic’s preseason debut ended earlier than planned. Even so, the end of his 16-minute showing gave every fan in the building a scare. Doncic took a knee to the side of his quad during the second quarter. He then appeared to favor that leg briefly as he walked on the touchline. He remained on the court and finished the first half before the Lakers decided not to bring him back after halftime.
The incident came during an important night for Doncic. It was his first night out in the Purple and Gold since a Grade 2 hamstring strain ended his 2025-26 season. The injury also kept him out of the Lakers’ playoff run.
Doncic Looks Comfortable Before Leaving
Doncic seemed like he was going to pick up where he left off last season. In just 16 minutes he racked up 21 points with 2 steals to boot. However, coach JJ Redick had little reason to put the Slovenian back in. The Lakers had a commanding lead over the Kings and eventually saw out the game comfortably.
Doncic later told reporters that he felt good physically. He did not indicate that the quad issue was anything serious. “I felt great, honestly,” Doncic said after the game.
That was encouraging for a Lakers team that needs its offense built around Doncic. As mentioned prior, his last season was ended early by his injury in April. More importantly, he could do nothing but watch as the OKC Thunder swept his team in the second round of the Playoffs. All this has made his return a major focus throughout training camp.
The Lakers had also taken a cautious approach with his workload before Monday’s game. Doncic sat out the team’s second preseason contest against Golden State last night. His absence was part of a broader rest plan. Several other key Lakers players also sat out the back-to-back, which reduced the significance of Doncic not playing.
The Lakers also had little reason to take risks in the preseason. Their priority is getting Doncic ready for the regular season rather than testing how many minutes he can handle in October.
Lakers Have Plenty of Reason to Be Careful
The quad scare was worth watching because of Doncic’s injury history from last season. Before the injury, Doncic had been one of the league’s most productive players. And even in spite of his injury, he still ended the season as the scoring champion averaging 33.5 points a game. His other counting stats, namely, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists a game meant he was also selected to the All-NBA First Team.
With such a stellar season in his rearview, his availability will be particularly important for the Lakers this season. After all, LeBron James is no longer with the team. This leaves Doncic as the central piece of an offense that is expected to rely heavily on his playmaking and scoring.
Doncic also spent the offseason taking a different approach to his preparation. He chose not to play for Slovenia during the summer, giving himself additional time to recover and train before returning to the NBA.
Lakers coach JJ Redick has spoken positively about Doncic’s conditioning during training camp. The guard has also said the extra rest helped him prepare for the season.
That makes the Lakers’ decision to limit his preseason workload understandable. There is little benefit in keeping a franchise player on the floor after a collision when the team already has a substantial lead. For now, there is no indication that Doncic suffered a significant quad injury. He stayed in the game after taking the hit, finished the half and said he felt good afterward.
The Lakers will continue to monitor him as the preseason continues. With the regular season approaching, keeping Doncic healthy matters far more than adding extra minutes to his exhibition workload.
The immediate scare appears to have passed. The Lakers can now focus on getting their franchise player ready for the games that count.
Luka Doncic Suffers Quad Injury Scare in the Preseason