Luka Doncic Tells Lakers He Is Trying to Return — Ric Flair Luka Doncic Lakers
ric flair luka doncic lakers got an update Wednesday as Luka Doncic said he is feeling good and trying to return from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. He has been out since the April 2 loss to the Thunder, and his return would change the Lakers’ second-round playoff picture after they dropped Game 1 without him.
Doncic’s Wednesday update
Doncic said recovery has taken longer because this is the second time he injured the hamstring this season. He added, “It’s been second time I [injured the hamstring this season]. So recovery has been a little longer. But I’m feeling good. Working every day, so I’m trying to come back.”
He also said, “Obviously this is a different injury than I ever had,” and called the process “very frustrating.” The strain ended his regular season, and the first recovery estimate was 4-6 weeks before Doncic said he was told 8 weeks.
Spain treatment and PRP
After the injury, Doncic traveled to Spain for advanced treatment and received four PRP injections. He said, “Everybody knows that Spain, they’re just one of the best countries to do that,” and added, “And obviously, I talked with the Lakers doctors, so everybody agreed for me to go there.”
He stayed longer because of the treatment schedule. “But why I was in Spain so long is because I needed four days in between every shot. So I did it four times. So that’s why I stayed longer,” he said. Thursday marked exactly five weeks since the injury happened, and he has begun running on the injured hamstring.
Lakers without their scorer
The Lakers beat the Rockets in six games to reach the Western Conference semifinals, then lost Game 1 to the Thunder 108-90 on Tuesday. LeBron James said the Lakers were missing a player who averages 34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, and he added, “When you play against the world champions and [miss] having a guy that averages 34 [points] and eight [rebounds] and nine [assists] and is that special, that’s [tough].”
Doncic said he is proud of what his team is doing, but the hard part is watching from the sideline. “I don’t think people understand how frustrating it is. All I wanna do is play basketball, especially this time. It’s the best time to play basketball. It’s very frustrating seeing what my team is doing. I’m very proud of them. It’s been very tough, to, just to sit and watch them play.”
The Lakers now wait on the same question that shaped the series before it started: whether he can get back in time to help change it. Game 2 was scheduled for Thursday, and every step in Doncic’s rehab points toward that answer.
