Lakers’ Luka Doncic is still uncertain when he will return from injury

OKLAHOMA CITY — Los Angeles Lakers the star Luka Doncic He does not know when he will be able to return from the Grade 2 hamstring strain that has sidelined him since early April, he said Wednesday.

“It’s very disappointing,” Doncic, speaking for the first time since the injury, told reporters in a meeting room at the team hotel. “I don’t think people understand how frustrating it is. All I want to do is play basketball, especially this time. This is the best time to play basketball.

“It’s very disappointing to see what my team is doing. I’m very proud of them. It’s very difficult to just sit and watch them play.”

Injured in the match against Doncic Oklahoma City Thunder April 2 and hasn’t played since, ending an MVP-caliber campaign in his first full regular season with the Lakers.

“The day I had the hamstring MRI, the doctor told me eight weeks (recovery) initially,” Doncic said. “I’m doing everything I can in this process, and I think we’re on a good path. But in the beginning, he told me eight weeks.”

Thursday’s Game 2 will be five weeks since the injury.

Doncic was noncommittal when asked if he would try to play if the series shifts to Los Angeles for Games 3-4.

“I’m doing what I can,” Doncic said. “Every day, I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. Obviously recovery, now I’m working. … Just going day by day, and I’m feeling better every day.”

When asked about the specifics of his comeback process, Doncic said he started running, but he didn’t do any contact drills.

Doncic said he dealt with a strain in the same hamstring earlier in the season that caused him to miss four games and play only sparingly in the NBA All-Star Game. This strain is more serious, however, and has forced him to proceed with caution.

“It’s a tough one for me because I came back from injury so early and it wasn’t the best result,” Doncic said. “You have to be very careful, and I’m doing everything to come back. All the recovery, the (hyperbaric) chamber, the cold tub, everything I can do to come back, but this is definitely different than my other injuries.”

Immediately following the injury, Doncic traveled to Spain for additional treatment in an attempt to speed up his return. He revealed on Wednesday that he underwent platelet rich plasma therapy (PRP) while abroad.

“I went to Spain to do PRP,” Doncic said. “Everyone knows that Spain, they are one of the best countries to do it. And obviously, I talked to the doctors at Lakers, so everyone agreed to let me go there.”

Doncic said he received four PRP injections in Spain and had to space four days between each shot.

“So that’s why I stayed longer,” he said.

He’s been around the team for their entire playoff run, as they’ve been beaten Houston Rockets 4-2 in the first round and now face the defending champion Thunder in the second round.

“Everybody kept us out,” Doncic said. “Everybody we’ve lost five, six games to… and we’ve proven it. We can play. It’s really amazing how everyone’s stepped up. So hopefully they’ll keep it going.”

As well as they played, LeBron James The following underscored Doncic’s absence 108-90 Game 1 loss to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday.

“We’re playing against the number one defensive team in the NBA,” James said. “And when you play against a great defense, you’ve got to have guys that can always draw multiple defenders on the floor. … When you play against the world champions and (Miss) has a guy who’s averaging 34 (points) and eight (rebounds) and nine (assists) and that’s special, that’s (a key piece missing).”