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Fans cheer as Lakers guard Luka Doncic, #77 and fellow Lakers players take the court before a game with the Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
The Los Angeles Lakers watched their playoff hopes crumble after it was announced that star point guard Luka Doncic sustained a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Los Angeles holds the third seed in the Western Conference and must win at least three of its final six games to maintain standing. The team still has multiple tough tilts remaining on its slate.
Doncic, 27, has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season and his status is uncertain beyond that.
It is typical that this kind of injury sidelines a player for roughly one month. Of course, the Lakers’ season may be long over once Doncic is healthy enough to play basketball again.
Doncic was having one of the best stretches in league history before he went down in Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In March, he became just the third player ever to rattle off at least 600 points in a single month.
With minimal regular season runway for the Lakers, the team is left having to scramble to generate a new blueprint without their best player in the lineup. How players’ roles change and what gameplan the team plans to execute remains to be seen.
For now, L.A. has accepted it may very well need to go the rest of the year without Doncic.
Luka Doncic update: insider reveals star’s positive reaction to news
The MRI scan Doncic received yesterday revealed the severity of his hamstring injury. A Grade 2 strain is notoriously tricky and at times frustrating to deal with. Doncic has had soft tissue ailments a few times in his career, but perhaps none were as serious as what he’s dealing with currently.
The untimely injury will likely eliminate Doncic’s growing MVP case and potentially his eligibility for postseason awards.
GettyLuka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic is expected to file an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” with the NBA to prevent award ineligibility, but there hasn’t been further information announced regarding that yet.
No matter how one slices it, an injury of this severity, especially at this time of year, can be dejecting. Doncic had his Lakers 15-2 entering their game against the Thunder.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Doncic is let down by the injury but looks to maintain his focus getting himself fully healthy.
“A source close to Luka tells me that obviously he’s upset that he can’t be out there with his teammates during this crucial stretch of this season, but he’s, quote, ‘laser-focused on his recovery.’
It’s good news for the Lakers that Doncic isn’t letting the timing and nature of his injury deflate him. It’s incredibly unfortunate that his historic regular season has ended without the opportunity to fully establish his MVP case and to allow L.A. to continue growing its lead over the fourth seed.
The best Doncic can now hope for is the Lakers make it past the first round without him. Depending on his recovery, he could become available in the second round.
Los Angeles has a crucial five games ahead
Now is not the time to get caught up in Doncic’s injury. It’ll hurt the Lakers’ chances to maintain seeding and consequently make their playoff path much harder.
With Doncic removed from the equation, L.A. has to figure out a new gameplan and specifically how the roles of Austin Reaves and LeBron James will change. Of course, both stars will be required to shoulder a heavier load to help keep their team’s season afloat.
Reaves is having a career-year and has shown immense ability when left to be the lone ball-handler. The 27-year-old Lakers star enjoyed a dominant scoring stretch earlier this season when both Doncic and James were out of the lineup.
As for James, not even being the oldest player in the NBA has taken the weight off his shoulders. The 41-year-old has responded time and time again when asked to do more. Before last season, James was almost exclusively the primary offensive initiator on his team each season of his career. Doncic’s arrival in L.A. had changed the way James plays. As time has gone on, he has gotten progressively more comfortable in his new role.
It’s debatable how much should be asked of a 41-year-old. James is still gifted and capable of looking like a top player in basketball on any given night.
But does he have it in him to turn back the clock in the playoffs for maybe the last time?
With the outlook on L.A.’s season suddenly changed, head coach JJ Redick has a lot to sort out over the next 14 days.
Adel Ahmad Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad
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