Luka Doncic injury update: A possible return date for Lakers star

Each Luka Doncic injury update reflects one idea: he's not dealing with anything that is expected to keep him out long-term.

On Tuesday night, Lakers head coach JJ Redick told the media that the star guard is viewed as day-to-day in his recovery, and Doncic is progressing well. With the Lakers taking it one step at a time, they can't put an official return date on the calendar for the All-Star guard.

But the ESPN NBA Insider Dave McMenamin made it clear that Doncic's return could be on the table soon.

When Could Luka Doncic Return?

"The Lakers have been encouraged that it's only a mild hamstring strain, but Luka's never dealt with a hamstring injury before in his 8-year NBA career," McMenamin said on Wednesday.

"This has been a bit of a different rehab for him. Thursday against his former team, the Mavericks, is not out of the question. He certainly has some motivation to get back on the court in time to play in the All-Star Game this weekend."

The NBA world might not be waiting much longer for Doncic's return to action. 

The last time Doncic appeared on the court was during the Lakers' February 5 matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. He left the court after playing in a little over 15 minutes of action. Suddenly, Doncic was out of the lineup for the next three games. The Lakers are 1-2 over that stretch with a win over the Golden State Warriors and losses against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. 

The Lakers haven't confirmed Doncic's official injury report status for Thursday's status against Dallas just yet, but it seems he could at least see an upgrade to questionable if all goes well.

This year, Doncic has posted averages of 32.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game. When healthy, he's been a major contributor for the Lakers, who are going to enter the NBA All-Star break as a top-six team in the Western Conference. 

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