According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the superstar will return to Los Angeles later this week, and while he obviously won’t be in uniform when the Lakers begin their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, he will be present.
“Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic may not be on the court for the start of the NBA playoffs this weekend, but he will be with his team,” McMenamin wrote.“Doncic will return to Los Angeles on Friday after spending the last week in Spain, where he received multiple injections for his Grade 2 left hamstring strain, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday.”
A grade 2 hamstring strain usually takes three to six weeks to heal. Doncic is generally expected to sit out the first round of the playoffs, but perhaps he can return in the second round, if the Lakers make it that far.
“The Lakers have not provided a timetable for Doncic’s return to the lineup, other than ruling him out for the remainder of the regular season after he suffered the injury on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder,” McMenamin continued. “A grade 2 hamstring strain typically involves a one-month recovery period.”
Since Doncic suffered his injury, the Lakers finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak. LeBron James was once again their primary scoring threat and was named Western Conference Player of the Week after putting up superstar numbers.
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Houston looks like a heavy favorite to win this upcoming playoff matchup. But maybe James can pull off an upset, something he’s done in the past with disappointing supporting casts, and buy some time for both Doncic and Austin Reaves, who has an oblique strain, to return later.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic to return to Los Angeles for start of Lakers playoff series