Luka Doncic will not be available for the start of the Western Conference semifinals series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder, and his return to the court is not expected in the short term.
The Slovenian point guard continues to recover from a Grade 2 hamstring injury suffered on April 2, and although he has already rejoined the team, he has not yet made significant progress in his on-court activity, especially regarding running and five-on-five situations.
Team physician Jesse Morse places the most optimistic scenario at Game 4 of the series, scheduled for May 11. According to his explanation, this type of injury typically requires between six and eight weeks of recovery, although in some cases it can be reduced to a period of between four and six weeks with advanced treatments.
From the media sphere, both Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst have confirmed that Doncic is not close to returning and has not even begun the contact phase in his recovery process, which rules out his presence in the first games of the series.
The Lakers, however, maintain some optimism and are confident that, barring any setbacks, the player can begin to increase his on-court workload during this week. His progress will determine the timeline in a series in which the Los Angeles franchise will attempt to compete without its primary offensive engine, after having defeated the Houston Rockets 4-2 in the first round.