The Los Angeles Lakers are on a bit of a hot streak, and backup could soon be arriving to make them even deadlier. Winners of the last five, the Lakers have played three of those games after the Anthony Davis trade and one without LeBron James as well.
But the roster has carried them through that stretch. Now, it seems ever closer that their superstar for the future, Luka Dončić, might make his debut. A league-shattering trade brought him to LA, but when is the Slovenian stepping into Crypto.com Arena as an active Laker?
What Is Luka Dončić’s Injury?
Before he got unceremoniously shipped off to Los Angeles, Dončić had been nursing a calf injury he suffered on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The lengthy layoff has made him ineligible for any awards this year. Nevertheless, as he said in his introductory press conference, the five-time All-Star is looking to come back fully healthy this time.
“For the first time, I took my time. Get it to heal 100%. Other times, I think I just wanted to get back on the court and playing basketball and not really be healthy 100%. This time, I just took my time, which was a normal amount of time, to get back to 100%.”
Similar calf issues have persisted throughout Dončić’s career, with the former Dallas Mavericks guard missing time in the preseason and even during the 2022 NBA playoffs due to injury concerns.
Yet, there is some good news for Lakers fans. His time on the shelf is nearing its end.
When Is Dončić Returning?
It has been a long saga but it looks like Dončić is all set to make his official debut as a Laker against the Jazz.
After reports suggesting he could be back on Saturday (Feb. 8) against the Indiana Pacers, the Lakers exercised caution in his recovery process and gave him an extra few days to heal. With the disaster in Dallas that was Anthony Davis’ debut, LA’s decision looks smarter by the minute.
During the same press conference where Dončić confirmed that he would take his time to fully recover, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka detailed the timeline for his newest acquisition’s return.
“We have 5-on-5 scheduled tomorrow for Luka, and we’re going to take it one day at a time just to make sure that the calf injury is at a good and safe place. So I would truly say, at this point, he’s day-to-day. We’re going to take it one step at a time. But if all those days go well and Luka feels good and confident, he’ll be in a game soon.”
Since then, the Lakers have played three more games, one against their in-city rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the other against the in-state Golden State Warriors, before squaring off against the Pacers in what many predicted would be Dončić’s debut.
In fact, during the broadcast against the Clippers, sideline reporter Jared Greenberg mentioned that the expectation around the team was that Dončić’s debut could come against the Pacers.
ESPN even shifted games around to ensure they could air the historic moment. However, there was a slight shift in the timeline. Before the Lakers took the court against Golden State, head coach JJ Redick spoke about the Slovenian guard’s availability and how the 5-on-5 workout progressed.
“It went well,” Redick said. “I think probably more likely Monday, [Feb. 10]. We have no commitment made on anything, but probably trending more toward Monday. No setbacks. He looked good yesterday. Got another workout in today, got a lift in today so all is well.
“All is positive, and hopefully we get the word at some point in the next few days that he is going to play. We all wanna see him in a Laker uniform.”
The official injury report from Los Angeles ruled Dončić out for Saturday’s home game against Indiana. But now, the belief within the organization, as reputed Lakers reporter Marc Stein suggested, is that Monday, Feb. 10 against the Jazz might shape up as the perfect date.
Redick gave the rest of the confirmation, for both Dončić and James, who missed the Saturday game with ankle soreness.
“We’re not trying to hold guys out. Obviously, with Bron, just a little bit of increased soreness on that foot after the other night. And Luka is progressing well, but we’ll make that decision in real time on Monday.”
