Los Angeles Lakers fans were treated on Thursday to footage of Luka Doncic working out at the Lakers' practice facility. Although Luka wasn't doing anything close to full speed, his shot looked money, and his appearance alone on the court in Lakers gear provided hope that he'll re-emerge in games this postseason.
Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Traditionally, such an injury requires at least four to six weeks of recovery. With Luka flying off to Europe to receive specialized therapy for the injury, there was buzz that he might be able to expedite the traditional recovery timeline and make an appearance in the first round, but that buzz has since been shot down by the Lakers, who have communicated that Doncic is out indefinitely and not expected to play at all in round one, no matter how long the series goes.
Luka Doncic doing some controlled, light movement shooting after practice under the watchful eye of Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean pic.twitter.com/dofhMZaUdx
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 23, 2026
Luka's presence alone provides Lakers an emotional boost
Even though Doncic is still working his way back physically, his return from Europe means something for a Lakers team that gets a legitimate morale boost when he's around. Lakers forward Rui Hachimura spoke about this a few days ago.
“I think people don't know that how much impact that Luka has — not just on the court but off the court,” Hachimura said. “We love him just being around, just hanging out … We happy that he's back finally. And, he's doing funny things like always.”
Luka's presence on the bench during games has been noticeable, too. His facial reactions to the ups and downs of the game constantly draw the attention of the broadcast. Luka is a passionate human, and that energy affects the Lakers, even when he's not in uniform.
LeBron James is keeping Lakers afloat with his strength of personality
Luka isn't the only Laker with a larger-than-life presence. There's a guy named LeBron James that's been holding down the fort -- both basketball-wise and leadership-wise -- since Luka's been in recovery mode.
Ironically, the Lakers' greatest benefits of having both LeBron and Luka on the same team continue to emerge most strikingly when one of the two isn't on the floor. And that's okay. The Lakers figured out their perfect chemistry in March, when LeBron realized that operating as the third option would take this team to another level. He'll revert to that mindset if and when Luka returns to full strength this playoffs.
The Lakers just watched one generational playmaker and person jet off to Europe while another generational playmaker and person stayed behind and captained the ship. We're not going to see two players of such magnitude on the same team many times again. This is rare territory.