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Derek Fisher on Luka Doncic MVP
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic flew to Europe on Monday to seek medical treatment for the Grade 2 hamstring injury he suffered last week. The hope is to shave weeks off his recovery timeline and suit up for the NBA playoffs.
After early scares, the Slovenian was sent off in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 3. Scans done the next day confirmed that Doncic had suffered a significant strain and officially ruled him out for the remainder of the regular season.

GettyLuka Doncic was sent off in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 139-96 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 3.
The recovery timeframe of 4-6 weeks potentially keeps the 27-year-old All-Star sidelined into the first round of the playoffs, which tip off April 18.
This has forced Doncic to seek alternative measures to speed up recovery to be ready for the postseason.
Luka Doncic’s Europe treatment draws parallels
Doncic’s agent, Bill Duffy, confirmed that the Lakers star will seek advanced regenerative care overseas to try to beat that recovery clock.
He wouldn’t be the first player to do so; in fact, he wouldn’t even be the first Laker. Between 2011 and 2013, Kobe Bryant made multiple such medical trips to Germany to accelerate his recovery.
He first travelled in 2011 for an experimental procedure that was being developed. The process involved drawing a small amount of his blood from the affected area, and incubated at a slightly elevated temperature to trigger an anti-inflammatory response, and finally spun in a centrifuge. The concentrated serum is then injected back into the injured area.
There were positive results, with the Lakers legend saying it felt like he had a “brand new” knee. He also did the same therapy in 2013 as well.
What this means for Doncic
The exact protocol for Doncic’s own therapy hasn’t been disclosed, however, the advanced options are more readily available in Europe which is why the Lakers superstar after seeking medical consultations from the team medical staff, made the journey.
His agent has pointed out that the Slovenian superstar is committed to returning to full action to help the Lakers for a deep postseason push.
Doncic is leading the league in scoring this season, and the Lakers will miss his offensive firepower for some time. Before going down, Doncic was assembling arguably the most majestic stretch of his iconic career. He delivered a total of 600 points in March, the third-most in a single month in NBA history. Only James Harden in 2019, and Michael Jordan in 1987 scored more.
Losing a player of Doncic’s caliber is devastating for the Lakers, who remain the third-seed in the West but are hanging on by a thread.
Come Game 1 of the playoffs, it will have been under three weeks since Doncic suffered the hamstring injury. These injuries are notorious for necessitating a month-long recovery. Simply put, it would be a miracle if Doncic were on the court any time before the second week of May, much less the start of the postseason.
Head coach JJ Redick said that Doncic — and even Austin Reaves, who incurred an injury in the same game Doncic did — fully intends to return before the playoffs. Perhaps L.A.’s star point guard knows something no one else does.
Another update on Doncic is expected over the coming weeks.
Adel Ahmad Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad
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