The Los Angeles Lakers announced Luka Doncic will miss the remainder of the regular season after an MRI confirmed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. Doncic suffered the injury in the third quarter/a> of the Lakers’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
The good news for Doncic is that the Lakers have already clinched a playoff berth and he could be back early in the playoffs if everything goes according to plan. The most important thing for this team is being healthy when the playoffs start and Doncic will surely do everything in his power to make that happen, although a Grade 2 strain is definitely significant and not something to rush back from.
Doncic is coming off his best stretch of play as a member of the Lakers. He led the team to a 15-2 record in the month of March, averaging 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals. Not only was Doncic named Western Conference Player of the Month, he was even nominated for Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month, much to the chagrin of the many who have criticized him for his effort and play on that side of the court.
This isn’t the first time this season that Doncic has dealt with hamstring issues as he sat out four games in February with a mild hamstring strain as well. This one is Grade 2 though, which is more significant than a Grade 1 strain.
It is also worth noting that Doncic currently sits at 64 games played this season, meaning that if he isn’t able to return before the end of the regular season, he will be ineligible for any postseason awards including MVP and All-NBA. The team could apply for an exception, however, since he missed two games earlier in the year due to the birth of his daughter.
The Lakers are also still battling for playoff position and have just a one-game lead on the Denver Nuggets for the third-seed in the West with five games remaining. The most important thing is health and ensuring Doncic returns at 100%, but the pressure will be on the rest of the team to hold it down while he recovers.
LeBron James’ role could change with Luka Doncic out
LeBron James has embraced a role as the third option behind Doncic and Austin Reaves, which has helped the Lakers reach another level as of late. But with Doncic now out, James understands his role could change once again as the team will need him to be more of a primary creator.
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