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Luka Dončić could debut for his new team soon after spending more than a month off the court.
Dončić, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, could reportedly be back on the court as soon as Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“There is optimism he is going to be able to make his Lakers debut on Saturday against Indiana,” Charania said on SportsCenter. “The Lakers have five games before the All-Star break; that was Luka Dončić’s goal to return before the All-Star break even before this trade to L.A.”
Dončić has not played since the Mavericks’ Christmas Day game against the Minnesota Timberwolves when he suffered a calf strain that was set to keep him sidelined for at least a month. Dončić has dealt with calf strains several times throughout his career, including another one earlier this year.
As Charania noted, Dončić has been eyeing a pre-All-Star break return since before the trade went down on Saturday night. Getting back on the floor before the All-Star break feels even more crucial now that he’s with a new team.
If he can play against the Pacers and the Lakers’ other two games before the All-Star break, it would give him the chance to shake off the rust while also getting acclimated with his new team.
After logging a few games, he’d be able to reset during the All-Star break and manage any lingering pain before attacking the second half of the season strong.
Regardless of whether Dončić’s return comes before or after the All-Star break, the Lakers will hope to get the same version of him that they saw in Dallas.
Dončić is coming off the best season of his career in which he put up 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game. He hasn’t had the same numbers this year, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 boards and 7.8 assists per game, but those stats are more than enough to land him on an All-NBA roster at the end of the year.
The Lakers have found their rhythm as of late and are currently sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference at 28-19. Los Angeles won’t be the same team without Davis, but it will look to continue its success with a new star in Dončić.
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