Los Angeles Lakers fans have been holding their breath since April 2, the night Luka Doncic grabbed his left hamstring and walked off the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since then, every injury update has been either vague or discouraging. But this week, the needle finally moved in the right direction — and it was a sports doctor who delivered the news Lakers fans had been waiting for.
Dr. Jesse Morse, a well-known figure in sports medicine circles, shared his assessment of Doncic’s current rehab progress and put a concrete window on the calendar. According to Dr. Morse, Doncic is approximately 10 to 14 days away from returning to the court. That’s not a guarantee, and it comes with the usual caveats around hamstring injuries, but after weeks of radio silence it’s the clearest timeline anyone has offered.
Doncic has been sidelined since April 2, when he hurt his left hamstring late in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. An MRI confirmed a Grade 2 strain, and he flew to Madrid to receive stem cell treatment under a specialist connected to Real Madrid before returning to Los Angeles. Head coach JJ Redick has been careful with his words throughout, but his most recent update offered a hint of optimism. Redick confirmed that Doncic was able to move on the court during rehab — a meaningful step up from the stationary work he had been doing in previous days.
Lakers star Luka Doncic is expected to begin ramping up activities next week, per @BrettSiegelNBA.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 29, 2026
The earliest he could return is Games 3 or 4 in LA against the Thunder, but it will depend on how he progresses over the next week and a half.
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The timing of all this matters enormously. Even with Doncic out, the Lakers have looked the part of a contender, with LeBron James carrying the offense through the first round against the Houston Rockets. In Game 3, LeBron delivered a 29-point, 13-rebound, six-assist performance in an overtime win. That’s superhero stuff. But everyone knows that when the second round arrives — almost certainly against the defending champion Thunder — LeBron alone won’t be enough.
If the 10-to-14-day window holds, Doncic could be available sometime in the second round, which would likely mean a series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder have been the best team in the West all season and match up in ways that would punish a Doncic-less Lakers offense badly. Getting him back even for Games 3 or 4 of that series could be the difference between a deep playoff run and an early summer.
Austin Reaves, who is also recovering from a Grade 2 oblique strain suffered on the same night as Doncic, is further along in his recovery and could realistically return even sooner. The prospect of both players coming back around the same time gives Los Angeles a real shot at fielding their best lineup exactly when the stakes are highest.
For now, the Lakers are focused on closing out Houston and staying healthy. But somewhere in the background, Luka Doncic is moving on a practice court again — and for a fanbase that has spent nearly four weeks staring at injury reports, that counts for a lot.