Thankfully, Luka Dončić’s calf injury seems to be healing well and he will soon be able to play as many minutes as the Lakers desire.
With the All-Star break over and done with, it’s time for Lakers basketball. And that means more games watching Luka Dončić in a purple and gold uniform.
Prior to the pause in regular season action, Luka played two games as a Laker. Due to his left calf injury, he was on a minuets restriction and didn’t play beyond 24 minutes in either game.
With the team practicing ahead of their Wednesday game against the Hornets, Lakers head coach JJ Redick stated that after that contest, Luka should be ready to play completely unrestricted.
JJ Redick’s response when asked about Luka Doncic’s ramp-up after being on a minutes restriction pre-ASB: “He’ll be fine…His minutes will be up tomorrow. And I don’t think that there’s going to be any restriction going forward.”
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) February 19, 2025
Finally getting Luka fully healthy and ready for these last 30 games is a dream come true for the Lakers. He’s been dealing with this calf injury for months now and at his introductory press conference, he stated that this was the first instance where he’d taken the time to heal the ailment fully.
Throughout his career, he’s had three separate calf injuries, so clearly, this has been an ongoing issue. If he’s now completely healthy and has put it behind him, then the Lakers can proceed with a relatively healthy LeBron James and Luka and see how far they can go as a team.
With back-to-backs slated immediately after the All-Star break, the Lakers are considering resting LeBron and Luka in these upcoming games to give them one last bit of rest before the mad dash to the end of the regular season begins.
LeBron has already gotten some extra rest. He missed the All-Star game due to discomfort in his left foot, which has been bothering him all season.
Whether one or both of the Lakers’ stars rest during either of these games, their health seems to be trending in the right direction and Luka will be able to play his regular minutes very soon.
For the Dallas Mavericks, Dončić averaged 35.7 minutes per game, which would be the second-highest minutes played on the Lakers, just a decimal point behind Austin Reaves.
So, just wait another game or so, Lakers fans, because a fully healthy Luka is on his way. And with Luka, LeBron and 30 games to make up some ground in the West, anything is possible.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.