Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic says it’s still unclear when he’ll return from a hamstring strain that has sidelined him for the team’s NBA playoff campaign. “I don’t think people understand how frustrating it is,” the 27-year-old Slovenian told reporters in Oklahoma City, where the Lakers dropped game one of their second-round series against the reigning champion Thunder on Tuesday. “All I want to do is play basketball, especially this time. It’s the best time to play basketball.”
Doncic was injured on April 2, missing the final few games of the regular season and the Lakers’ first-round victory over the Houston Rockets. “It’s very frustrating seeing what my team is doing. I’m very proud of them. It’s been very tough just to sit and watch them play,” he said. He said he was told after an initial MRI scan that recovery would take eight weeks. Doncic, who moved to Spain as a teenager and launched his professional career with Real Madrid, said he traveled to Spain to receive platelet-rich plasma treatments in a bid to hasten his recovery. “I think that is one of the best countries to do that,” he said, adding that he had consulted with Lakers doctors and “everybody agreed for me to go there.”
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While Doncic said he is “doing everything I can” to return, he’s leery of coming back before regaining full fitness. “It’s a tough one for me because I came back from injuries (before) too soon and it wasn’t the best result,” he said. “It’s not the same like other injuries,” he said of the hamstring injury. “You have to be very careful and I’m doing everything to come back,” added Doncic, who says he has resumed running in training but hasn’t taken part in any contact drills.
Doncic led the league in scoring in the regular season, averaging 33.5 points per game with 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds. James noted after the Lakers were held to 90 points in Tuesday’s game that Doncic’s offensive presence was sorely missed. “We’re playing against the number one defensive team in the NBA,” James said. “When you play against great defenses, you have to have guys that can attract multiple defenders on the floor at all times … when you play against the world champions, having a guy that averages 34 (points per game), that’s special.”
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