Luka Doncic Injury: “To Be Reevaluated in a Week”
The Lakers lose both Doncic and LeBron at the same time – Redick will need to reinvent L.A.’s offense to get through a tough week
Luka Doncic has been sidelined. The Slovenian star of the Los Angeles Lakers will miss at least one week due to a left finger sprain and a left leg contusion, the team officially announced.
The injury surfaced after the game against the Sacramento Kings, which Doncic will now sit out. He’s expected to be reevaluated in about seven days. The Lakers’ medical staff remains optimistic, and according to ESPN, the timeline for recovery shouldn’t extend beyond the initial estimate.
It happened suddenly. I didn’t even realize Luka got hurt during the game. It was only the next day, when the swelling and pain increased, that we understood it was better to be cautious.
JJ Redick
The schedule doesn’t make things any easier. Los Angeles will face Portland on the second night of a back-to-back, then head on the road for two tricky matchups against Minnesota and Memphis, before returning to Crypto.com Arena to host Miami.
That means Redick’s team will have to manage without its leader, who had been off to a sensational start to the season, averaging 46 points per game over the first two outings.
We’ll have to find points and rhythm from other guys. But we can’t lose our identity — everything has to stay within our offensive principles.
JJ Redick
With LeBron James already out and Doncic now sidelined, the Lakers suddenly find themselves without their two brightest stars – a true test of resilience for Redick’s group, which will need to dig deep to stay competitive.
The silver lining? Austin Reaves is on fire right now – and with him playing at this level, everything seems just a little bit easier.