The Los Angeles Lakers’ 2025-26 season came to an end on Monday night, getting swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. Getting to the second round at all was a victory for L.A., especially after losing superstar Luka Doncic to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2.
He and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique strain) both got injured in the same game, also against the Thunder. But Reaves was able to return during the first round against the Houston Rockets. That left many wondering why Doncic wasn’t ramping up. After the loss, though, Doncic revealed that a return was a long ways away.
“It was very frustrating,” Doncic said of being unable to play in the playoffs. “I know some people wanted me back, but obviously I wasn’t close. There was some stuff in the media that went out that wasn’t true. If I could be out there, I 100% would’ve been. Everybody in the room knows that.
“It was really tough. Like I said, this is the best time to play basketball. I was sad not to be able to help my team. Looking to the offseason, obviously I’m still doing recovery. So that’s the first thing.”
Doncic is hopeful to get back to on-court action in the next couple of weeks, even though it no longer helps the 2025-26 iteration of the Lakers.
“I was doing lifting, running and shooting, but I haven’t done contact. I wasn’t cleared yet, so that stuff will come in the next week or two probably,” he said.
The next time the Lakers see a healthy Doncic on the floor, they could have a completely different roster surrounding the Slovenian superstar. They enter a massive offseason with nearly all of their key contributors as free agents and significant cap space to play with.
Hopefully, they can build a truly contending team both around Doncic, and one that might be able to better weather his absence in the case of a similar injury in the future.
Luka Doncic withdraws from FIBA World Cup Qualifiers
Playing for the Slovenian national team is a point of great pride for Doncic, having done so at every opportunity since being in the NBA unless injured. However, while he likely will be healthy enough to play for Slovenia at the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, he announced on Monday that he is withdrawing to spend more time with his daughters amid a long custody battle.
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