Luka Doncic is on track to return from All-Star injury

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers have been without Luka Doncic since the second half of their win against the Philadelphia 76ers last Thursday, as he left the game with a hamstring injury. After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick was optimistic that Doncic’s injury was not too serious, and before the team’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, this remained true.

“He’s made really good progress. I think a part of him wanted to push to come back as part of the break, but we have to be careful with soft tissue injuries,” Redick said. “Obviously we were very cautious about Austin [Reaves]. You just saw what happened with Jalen Williams coming back. We all feel comfortable with the decision to keep him out, and he should be good to go after the All-Star.

As far as Luka Doncic’s availability for the All-Star Game is concerned, JJ Redick joked that it’s up to his pay grade that will determine whether the Lakers star participates. Doncic came onto the court before the Mavericks game and went through pregame warmups between ins and outs.

During the first half of the season, Doncic has been one of the leading candidates for the league’s MVP award. He is the current NBA leader in scoring with 32.8 points per game. He has continued to immerse himself among the Los Angeles fanbase, setting up a fun interactive event for fans during All-Star Weekend.

Redick said, “As far as stars go, it’s really important to him. You’ve obviously seen the connection he’s made with the city of Dallas and all the Mavericks fans around the world. And from the moment he got here, he embraced Los Angeles.” “He wasn’t even here when the fire happened and he immediately donated to fire relief. And he’s done a lot of things, whether it’s with the fans or with our team. I think he enjoys it.”

Doncic has appeared in 42 games so far for the Lakers, averaging a little over 35 minutes per game. In addition to his points, he averaged 7.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.5 steals, including shooting 47.3 percent from the field, 34.5 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 78.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line. He also leads the league in free-throw attempts at 10.9 per game.

Last offseason, Doncic signed a three-year contract extension with the Lakers worth approximately $165 million. This includes players’ options for the 2028–29 season.