The hamstring injury suffered by Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic on Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder is severe enough that it could keep him out for an extended period of time. The initial timetable is not exactly encouraging for the Lakers, or for his chances of winning major NBA awards and honors.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic could miss remainder of season
According to a report from Shams Charania on Friday, Doncic is out indefinitely and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.
What is even more concerning for the Lakers is that his status beyond that is not yet certain, with Charania reporting that Doncic could still be out beyond the regular season.
There are a lot of layers to this that are significant.
For one, Doncic is a key part of the Lakers’ success this season and a major reason why they are contenders in the Western Conference. If he is not back for the playoffs or not quite at 100% health, that would put a significant dent in their chances to make a run at the Western Conference title and a potential spot in the NBA Finals.
The other layer is that Doncic has only played in 64 games this season, and if he does not play in another game, that would make him ineligible for NBA honors due to the league’s 65-game rule.