Upon his arrival to the Los Angeles Lakers, it was clear that everything in Hollywood, from a basketball perspective, now orbited around Luka Doncic. That should be the outlook for the foreseeable future too.
That point was made abundantly clear when the Lakers moved quickly to try and acquire Doncic a center that complimented his skill set. Unfortunately, that experience was a swing and a miss, with the Mark Williams trade being rescinded and Dalton Knecht being forced into an awkward return to Los Angeles.
Despite that, it was noteworthy to see how quickly Rob Pelinka and management moved to satisfy their 25-year-old superstar. One major question that will need answering is how the Lakers will approach getting the new focal point of their team back to 100 percent, following the calf strain injury that previously kept Doncic off the court since a Chirstmas Day game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Patience will be key with Doncic’s injury management
Figuring out the fit of how all the pieces in Los Angeles will revolve around Luka is crucial. However, the Slovenian superstar will need to be fully healthy to truly answer that question.
The Lakers have been careful about how they’ve handled Doncic since his return to the lineup against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 10. The newest superstar wearing purple and gold has been on a clear minutes restriction. Doncic has not exceeded 25 minutes in either of his first two games as a member of the Lakers.
NBA All-Star Weekend has offered the Lakers guard some extra opportunity to rest after his injury. Luka was not part of the festivities this season. Now, coming out of the break, it appears the Lakers organization will continue to preach a steady and patient approach when it comes to his injury management.
The Lakers are scheduled for a back-to-back right out of the All-Star break. They face the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night before matching up with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
With relation to that, Marc Stein reported,