![\"Luka](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2243144543-e1761515189733.jpg\")
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Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during play against the Minnesota Timberwolves.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> offered some relief to anxious fans after The Athletic\u2019s Dan Woike reported that there are no long-term concerns about Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a>\u2019s injuries, even as the superstar is expected to miss multiple games.<\/p>\n Don\u010di\u0107, who is dealing with a sprained left finger and lower leg contusion, was officially ruled out for at least one week, according to ESPN\u2019s Dave McMenamin<\/a>. But Woike\u2019s update shifted the tone from worry to optimism.<\/p>\n \u201cSource tells me there\u2019s no long-term concerns here,\u201d Woike wrote<\/a>. \u201cObviously, a relatively quick re-evaluation period signals the same.\u201d<\/p>\n A Sigh of Relief in Los Angeles<\/p>\n Woike\u2019s intel underscores that while the Lakers\u2019 new franchise cornerstone will miss time, the organization does not view the setback as serious. The quick re-evaluation window suggests Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s injuries are minor rather than structural.<\/p>\n His return, however, will depend on how his finger responds to treatment and whether the swelling in his leg subsides.<\/p>\n Dr. Evan Jeffries, an NBA<\/a> and NFL<\/a> injury expert based in San Diego, told fans on X that even with an optimistic diagnosis, Don\u010di\u0107 will likely need a ramp-up period before returning to full action.<\/p>\n \u201cThis likely means Luka won\u2019t be back exactly in a week \u2014 he\u2019ll need a ramp-up period,\u201d \u00a0Jeffries\u00a0wrote<\/a>. \u201cBased on the Lakers\u2019 schedule, he could miss approximately 5\u201310 games.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s Injury Comes Amid Historic Start<\/p>\n The setback halts what had been one of the most explosive starts to a Lakers season in franchise history. Through two games, Don\u010di\u0107 is averaging 46.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists, including a 49-point masterpiece in the Lakers\u2019 128\u2013110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n He also tallied 43 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists in a narrow season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors<\/a>.<\/p>\n Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s first two performances made him the first player in Lakers history to score over 90 points across the team\u2019s first two games of a season.<\/p>\n Lakers\u2019 Depth Faces Its First Test<\/p>\n Even with the encouraging medical outlook, the Lakers are entering a challenging stretch without Don\u010di\u0107 \u2014 and still without LeBron James<\/a>, who continues to deal with sciatic nerve irritation.<\/p>\n Los Angeles will rely heavily on Austin Reaves<\/a>, who has shown the ability to rise to the occasion in the past. Last season, Reaves dropped a career-high 45 points in a win over the Indiana Pacers<\/a> when both Don\u010di\u0107 and James were unavailable.<\/p>\n Deandre Ayton<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Marcus Smart<\/a>\u00a0will also be expected to shoulder greater responsibility. Ayton is averaging 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds on 66.7% shooting, while Smart has contributed 6.0 points and 1.5 steals per game through two contests.<\/p>\n Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s Conditioning and Heavy Workload in Spotlight<\/p>\n The Lakers\u2019 next 10 days include tough matchups against the Kings<\/a>, the vastly improved Portland Trail Blazers<\/a>, a rematch with the Timberwolves, and the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a>, but internally, there\u2019s growing confidence that Don\u010di\u0107 won\u2019t be sidelined for long.<\/p>\n Even with the injury setback, Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s conditioning is reportedly in tip-top shape following his well-documented offseason transformation. He shed<\/a> significant weight through a strict diet and training regimen<\/a>, which helped him improve his defensive mobility and endurance.<\/p>\n However, the wear and tear from his FIBA EuroBasket campaign with Slovenia may have caught up with him. Don\u010di\u0107 carried his national team single-handedly to the quarterfinals, logging heavy minutes across several grueling contests just weeks before Lakers training camp began.<\/p>\n Cautious Optimism<\/p>\n The Lakers have been cautious with his workload early this season, mindful of his past injury history. Last year, while still with the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>, an overweight Don\u010di\u0107 missed nearly six weeks and 22 straight games due to a left calf strain \u2014 a setback that ultimately accelerated his trade to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n For now, the Lakers plan to rest their superstar through next week\u2019s slate and reassess once swelling and pain subside. If Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s improved fitness and recovery protocols hold, the Lakers could have their franchise centerpiece back sooner than expected \u2014 a critical boost for a team navigating early adversity.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during play against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Los Angeles…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243569,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-243568","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243568\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}