Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic owned March like few ever have, erupting for 36 points per game on 52/41/92 splits while dishing 9.8 dimes and snaring 8.1 boards. He almost single-handedly fueled the 15-4 rampage that locked the Lakers as the number three seed in the West and re-ignited MVP chants. His step-back sorcery shredded defenses, from his epic 40-point showing vs. the Houston Rockets to his 13-assist masterpiece vs. the Denver Nuggets, Doncic was at the very centre of the Lakers’ offense alongside Austin Reaves, who was having a career-best season himself.

Then cruelty struck: a grade two hamstring strain vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. Reaves suffered a grade two oblique strain the same night while reaching for a rebound, causing an overstretched and overloaded muscle. Both stars are pushing to return in the first round of the playoffs.

But NBA insider Shams Charania has his doubts on that recovery timeline, and he has his reasons to question that.

“Obliques are tricky. Hamstrings are tricky,” Charania revealed on The Sedano & Kap Morning Show earlier today. “These are not injuries that, you know, you you you just come back from and and you can just fight through um in in a matter of a couple weeks. It’s just not the reality for players like Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves that have so much expectation, so much pressure, so much responsibility on the court to move, to cut, to slash, to have pop on their on their drives and their movement on the court.”

The ESPN reporter further offered clarity on his stance by comparing Luka and Austin to a player like Aaron Gordon.

“That’s what makes this a little different. This isn’t a game seven for Aaron Gordon, who plays his game as essentially a three-point specialist, a guy that can grab rebounds and play on the ground. Like Aaron Gordon did such a great job in that game seven last year in the second round of finding a way to stay on the ground and play and still be effective with a grade two. Who knows how long he would have played after that? It’s hard to expect a guy to come in like Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves that’s dealing with these types of injuries if they’re not feeling, you know, mostly healed here,” Charania added.

Doncic was dealing with hamstring issues earlier in the season as well. He missed four games before February’s All-Star break. The former Mavericks man is now in Europe seeking specialized stem cell treatment to expedite recovery (typically three-eight weeks).

“That’s all part of the equation as well, and that’s something that they’re all going to have to deal with, like it’s not only the recovery, it’s the rehab, it’s the conditioning, and these are all multi-layered rehab approaches for sure,” Charania concluded.

His latest setback rules him out of postseason awards recognition, considering he will fall short of the 65-game criteria set by the league (currently at 64 games). However, Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy of WME Basketball, declared his client’s intention to file an ‘Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge’ under the league’s participation policy to be considered for these honors.

How do the Lakers cope without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves?

While Luka’s return date remains unknown, given the severity of the injury, Reaves still has a chance to advance to the first round of the playoffs. In 51 games this season, Reaves has averaged 23.3 points and 4.7 rebounds, both career highs.

“Grade two oblique strain. This one is a little bit more straightforward,” Charania went on to add. “Four to six weeks. That timeline rules him out of the majority, if not the entire first round. But like JJ Reddick said, even the goal for him is to try to come back during the playoffs, and it’s on the Lakers to extend the series. And so he is like Luka Doncic, I’m sure he (Austin Reaves) is going to do everything he can to try to expedite that timeline.”

Coach JJ Redick hopes to have at least one of these two to accompany LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura, and Deandre Ayton in the first playoff series. The Lakers struggled last night against the Cooper Flagg-led Dallas Mavericks, succumbing to a 128-134 loss at the American Airlines Center.

Hachimura and Jake LaRavia started last night, but they could not replicate the Doncic-Reaves impact. With defensive powerhouse Marcus Smart dealing with an injury issue of his own, JJ Redick has a few games to offer game time to fringe players and build up team cohesion within the rotational group.

It’s all hands on deck for LA at this point in the season. The league offers no second chances, so when offered the opportunity, we could see the emergence of a new yellow and purple cult hero. Bronny James, maybe? Never say never in the NBA.