No Jaxson Hayes but Marcus Smart has been upgraded to questionable and LeBron is AVAILABLE
NBA Current 2025-26 Player Ratings — Attempting some NBA player ratings based on formulas for different stats available. Can you let me know if these are egregious and if so, why? Anything above 7 is a superstar. These are similar to FIFA player ratings, but for the NBA. Any feedback is welcome
https://preview.redd.it/24rvtd6yc0ug1.png?width=1619&format=png&auto=webp&s=c30b0dc682e375ddebbb5de77819820a105174a0
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[Yapkowitz] JJ Redick on Luka Doncic amid hamstring injury: “I think he’s in good spirits… he’s motivated to do everything possible… it’s hard for him not to be on a basketball court… that’s his happy place”
[McMenamin] On Saturday, after Luka Doncic’s diagnosis, but before the extent of Austin Reaves’ oblique injury was known, JJ Redick said that the Lakers’ focus was to finish as the No. 3 seed. Tonight, after Reaves’ Grade 2 status and the Dallas loss, Redick said “seeding is out the window.” — Mcmenamin: On Saturday, after Luka Doncic’s diagnosis, but before the extent of Austin Reaves’ oblique injury was known, JJ Redick said that the Lakers’ focus was to finish as the No. 3 seed. Tonight, after Reaves’ Grade 2 status and the Dallas loss, Redick said “seeding is out the window.”
Source: https://www.threads.com/@davemcten/post/DW2grZkmn7l?xmt=AQF07D1JWKEvqCtJfluSsPgTDEDqUbA2LSx8kl-t2WaDcl5rdJuZf2PedYlpb\_u1-qT3694&slof=1
Will Bronny James start for the Lakers? How Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic injuries impacts LeBron James’ son’s playing time — https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/will-bronny-james-start-lakers-austin-reaves-luka-doncic-injuries/950ca8d5bb0d755303f0b70e
Will Bronny James start for the Lakers after the injuries?
[Injury Report] RIP LEBRON
Summarizing every NBA team's post-bubble era in 1 sentence — Here's every team's '21-'26 stretch summarized:
**East**
**Boston:** The Jays and successful coaching and front office transitions have led to consistently deep playoff runs, including a championship in 2024.
**Brooklyn:** The chaotic and disappointing results of the Kyrie-KD-Harden teams begat another potentially long rebuild.
**New York:** The free agent signing and development of Jalen Brunson plus some blockbuster trades for KAT, Bridges and Anunoby has the Knicks enjoying sustained post
[Woike] JJ Redick on Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves’ injury: “Both were medically cleared… we talked at halftime and the group wanted to go for it in the second half… there was nothing suggesting either was ‘running hot’”
Luka could be back within 3-4 weeks using advanced STEM cell technology in Europe — Dr. Jesse Morse (Sports Medicine physician specializing in non-surgical orthopedics, regenerative medicine like PRP and stem cells) on Luka Doncic receiving treatment in Europe.
Luka Doncic
Traveling to Europe to treat his grade 2 hamstring strain
Germany (& Switzerland) traditionally lead the world in cutting edge medical treatments, especially Stem cells.
He's likely getting a combination of MSC's, placental tissue, exosomes, as well as other treatments not legal here in the United States.
Lakers star Luka Doncic jets to Europe for 'specialized' treatment
Dr Jesse Morse approximates that Luka could be back within 3-4 weeks using advanced STEM cell technology in Europe
The league doping policy allows for the league to test 4 times and then not again. With Luka headed to Europe, he most likely has hit 4 tests. HGH has been shown to speed up injury recovery by as much as 30%. — If Luka can shave a week off of recovery he might be ready sometime during the first round instead of after.
https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/lakers-star-luka-doncic-will-reportedly-head-to-europe-for-hamstring-injury-treatment-ahead-of-playoffs-024138289.html?guccounter=1
Is this cope? Absolutely.
Bronny James will finally get chance Lakers fans dreamed of after Luka Doncic injury — https://lakeshowlife.com/los-angeles-lakers-bronny-james-will-finally-get-chance-fans-dreamed-luka-doncic-injury
Bronny James will finally get chance Lakers fans dreamed of after Luka injury
Dr. Evan Jeffries on Luka and Austin's injuries
[Charania] After consultation with Lakers doctors and his own medical team, Luka Doncic will seek specialized medical treatment in Europe on his Grade 2 left hamstring in an attempt to expedite his return to play, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball tells me and @mcten.
[Charania] After consultation with Lakers doctors and his own medical team, Luka Doncic will seek specialized medical treatment in Europe on his Grade 2 left hamstring in an attempt to expedite his return to play, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball tells me and @mcten. — \[Charania\] After consultation with Lakers doctors and his own medical team, Luka Doncic will seek specialized medical treatment in Europe on his Grade 2 left hamstring in an attempt to expedite his return to play, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball tells me and @mcten.
https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/8c3cd528bf528
Need DK and Rui to go off
Has there been anything reported how are Lakers trainers are going to approach Luka Doncic injury? — What i mean is have they made up their mind that he will not be able to play for atleast the next two months or they will take it week by week and amp up the activity every week to get him ready as soon as possible.
Adam Silver should let Lebron juice up for only the 1st round of the playoffs — I mean, we lose Luka D Doncic and Austin Reaves, and marcus smart is a little on the fence, it is only fair to let Lebron take that shit so he can get some help no?
Laker faithful!! We going thru it.
Lakers Injury Report For April 5th against Dallas
Total assist leaders in the NBA this season — 1. Nikola Jokic - 673
2. Cade Cunningham - 603
3. Jalen Johnson - 553
4. James Harden - 541
5. Luka Doncic - 530
6. Jamal Murray - 523
7. Josh Giddey - 494
8. Lamelo Ball - 486
9. Stephon Castle - 480
10. Jalen Brunson 478
https://www.nba.com/stats/leaders?StatCategory=AST&PerMode=Totals
Lakers Nation, we will survive — There have been some rough years in Lakers Nation, we survived a time when our starting center was Kwame Brown and our starting point guard was Smush Parker. We survived the years when we thought Kendall Marshall was our future and we literally didn’t have enough healthy bodies to field a team. We survived Byron Scott starting Ronnie Price over developing young talent like DLo. We survived watching our beloved Kobe’s body break down in real time. We survived the meme squad when Magic thought
[Murray] Marcus Smart remains out. Hasn't played in two weeks due to right ankle contusion.
Jarred Vanderbilt is also questionable for Sunday at Dallas due to right calf soreness
In addition to Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) dealing with Grade 2 strains
Bro, what the hell is this injury report, what do you mean we can lose Vando as well...
Guys am I crazy? or Is this really a random coincidence? Luka Doncic dunked vs the 76ers in the February 6th game and injured his hamstring later in the same game. Fast forward to now Luka dunked vs the Cavs last game and injured his hamstring immediately in the next game vs OKC
[Charania] Lakers' Austin Reaves is expected to miss four to six weeks with the Grade 2 oblique injury, sources tell ESPN. Devastating run of injuries to L.A.'s two leading scorers. Reaves and Luka Doncic are expected to be sidelined to begin the NBA playoffs. — https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/73be67b560633
Lakers' Austin Reaves is expected to miss four to six weeks with the Grade 2 oblique injury, sources tell ESPN. Devastating run of injuries to L.A.'s two leading scorers. Reaves and Luka Doncic are expected to be sidelined to begin the NBA playoffs.
Can Lakers win 1st round without Luka? KG has some thoughts: “We’re not talking about the intangibles that LeBron comes with… I’ve seen the man turn it on and take it to another level, seen him control the game… When Bron hit that button, you really got to be on your s—t, bro… I Like the Lakers.” — > When fans talk about the Los Angeles Lakers, the conversation usually circles back to how far the team can go depending on what Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves can deliver. That storyline has followed them all year, but Kevin Garnett stepped in to remind the league that overlooking LeBron James because of his age is a huge mistake.
> Opponents may be getting comfortable thinking the Lakers live or die by their young backcourt stars. As a result, KG highlighted LBJ’s ability to flip a game on i
“The Lakers have advanced to the second round of the playoffs.” “Luka Doncic is expected to return in game 1 of the second round, with his hamstring fully healed at 100%
Hoping we can get through the 1st round
If the season ends today, Lakers finish with a #8 offense. Luka Doncic so far in his career has not led a top 5 offense without Jalen Brunson on his team. — Thought this was always interesting when it came to discussions around Luka. Despite his scoring and assist numbers, Luka Doncic has never led a top 5 offense without Jalen Brunson on his team. To be fair to him, he plays with DeAndre Ayton.
If Nikola Jokic plays at least 4 of the last 5 games, he will have played more games than Luka Doncic in all 8 seasons they have been in the league together —
||Luka games|Jokic games |
|:-|:-|:-|
|18/19|72|80|
|19/20|61|73|
|20/21|66|72|
|21/22|65|74|
|22/23|66|69|
|23/24|70|79|
|24/25|50|70|
|25/26|64|61|
Statement from Luka's agent Bill Duffy
[Charania] Luka Dončić’s agent intends to apply for an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” to the 65-game rule. Luka missed two games this season for the birth of his second child in Slovenia. — Source: https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/a8f99032290a0
Statement from Luka Doncic’s agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball: "This season, Luka Dončić has performed at a historic level, leading the league in scoring, carrying the Lakers to third place in the Western Conference and placing himself in the middle of one of the most tightly contested MVP races in memory. To ensure that Luka’s incredible accomplishments this season are rightly honored and he can be considered for the leagu
[Charania] Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is out indefinitely due to a left hamstring injury, sources tell me and @mcten. He will miss the remainder of the regular season and his status is uncertain beyond that. — Shams Charania:
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is out indefinitely due to a left hamstring injury, sources tell me and @mcten. He will miss the remainder of the regular season and his status is uncertain beyond that.
https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/a8f99032290a0
[Bontemps] As I just reported on SportsCenter, there is one way Luka Doncic can be eligible for end-of-season awards: by filing an extraordinary circumstances grievance over missing two games in December over the birth of his child. An arbitrator would rule on it after the regular season. — Tim Bontemps
>As I just reported on, there is one way Luka Doncic can be eligible for end-of-season awards: by filing an extraordinary circumstances grievance over missing two games in December over the birth of his child. An arbitrator would rule on it after the regular season.
Source: [https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rumors/2026/04/03/by-filing-an-extraordinary-circumstances-grievance/89456175007/](https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rumors/2026/04/03/by-filing-an-extrao
Cap experts can you explain how much cap space will we have next season? I know that Austin reaves will have a 20m cap hold. So if we don’t re-sign Rui Kleber and keep Kennard at a similar contract will we have around 70m in cap space?
[Charania] “Luka Doncic traveled with the team to Dallas, and the Lakers are awaiting the results later today. I’m not going to report the results before I have them, but hamstring injuries, depending on the severity are measured in weeks.”
Per Tim Bontempts: Luka can potentially qualify for awards by filing an "extraordinary circumstance grievance" for missing 2 games for the birth of his child
Jason Kidd denies trading Luka: Unfortunately, as I have said, I was not part of the process.... I waited until 11 o’clock, and that trade, the world changed" — Asked Friday to clarify what that meant, Kidd said, “I was called (by) Nico (into) the room, and he told me that there was a trade that was going to go public at 11 o’clock. That’s what happened. That’s the details of the conversation. I waited until 11 o’clock, and that trade, the world changed.”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7169852/2026/04/03/jason-kidd-mark-cuban-luka-doncic-trade/
Do you believe Jason Kidd? Or Mark Cuban?
[NBA.com] Luka Doncic stays 4th in MVP standing after winning Player of the Month — 1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Last week’s ranking: No. 1 ↔️
Season stats: 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week’s ranking: No. 2 ↔️
Season stats: 31.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists
3. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Last week’s ranking: No. 3 ↔️
Season stats: 27.7 points, 13 rebounds, 10.8 assists
4. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
Last week’s ranking: No. 4 ↔️
Season stats: 33.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists
New angle of Thunder fan heckling Luka Doncic while he’s injured “Yeah he’s real hurt. He’s not even hurt.”
Luka Doncic Limps Off with Painful Hamstring Injury - Doctor Explains — According to Youtube sports doctor, Brian Sutterer, this could actually be one of Luka Boo Boo injury where he might have overreacted. He says it doesnt look like season ending injury. I am a Luka stan but i am hoping he is right.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received 88/100 1st place votes in ESPN’s latest MVP mock ballot April 3rd. Last Year in April he had 77/100 1st place votes. — Results
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (88 first place, 9 second place, 3 third place votes)
2. Victor Wembanyama (8 first place, 63 second place, 19 third place, 9 fourth place, 1 fifth place vote)
3. Nikola Jokic (3 first place, 20 second place, 52 third place, 23 fourth place, 1 fifth place vote)
4. Luka Doncic (6 second place, 24 third place, 59 fourth place, 8 fifth place)
5. Jaylen Brown (1 first place, 2 second place, 2 third place, 7 fourth place, 68 fifth place votes).
[Highlights] All the possessions in the 1st quarter - Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers - 4/2/26. NBC commentary. — The Lakers getting decimated, Austin Reaves getting injured, and first signs of Luka Doncic injury appear
Lakers had 8 turnovers while shooting 33.3% from the field and 33.3% from 3, while the Thunder shot 63.0% from the field and 63.6% from 3 (Lu Dort 4/4 from 3)
Thunder won it 44-21.
[HD version via Reddit (Thunder's subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/Thunder/comments/1sb9mdx/all_the_possessions_in_the_1st_quarter_oklahoma/)
[HD version via YouTube](https://youtu.be/cakiYU4q_m0)
If Luka doesn’t make All-NBA because of this Silver should go ahead and quit
Thunder fan talking trash to Luka Doncic while he's hurt and Austin Reaves comes to his defense
If Luka is injured for the season he will NOT be eligible for any postseason awards: an explanation of the rules and technicalities — Luka Doncic had to leave the game early vs the Thunder due to an hamstring injury. He was dealing with it throughout the game and it seemed to pop early into the 3rd quarter.
Obviously the hope is that it was all a scare and that he can come back before the regular season ends. But the possibility of him having played his last regular season game is very real, and that opens questions regarding his eligibility for postseason awards - both MVP voting and the All-NBA teams. I've seen differing ve
[McMenamin] Luka Doncic will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the extent of his left hamstring injury, a source familiar with Doncic's situation told ESPN. — Find more from Dave McMenamin here: https://www.threads.com/@davemcten?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Luka Doncic will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the extent of his left hamstring injury, a source familiar with Doncic's situation told ESPN
[Highlights] Luka Doncic misses the 3, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the beautiful euro step and finish on Austin Reaves, and then the assist to Chet Holmgren for the floater, and Lu Dort hits the 3 after the Lakers 8th turnover in the 1st quarter. Thunder up 16.
Victor Wembanyama wins Defensive Player of the month for March. Other nominees…. Donovan Clingan, LUKA DONCIC, Kris Dunn, Rudy Gobert, Chet Holmgren — Interesting that Luka has the most player of the month awards and even was nominated for defensive player of the month yet is a distant 3rd in the MVP race.
I’m sure all the voters who have him 3rd or worse had the Lakes as a top 3 seed. They love to be consistent.
Luka gets bashed for his mid December when Wemby has had mid stretches as well. Not sure why on Luka does. Him being bad the whole first half of a season is a myth. Player of the month in January and very close in October/ November.
Luka was a nominee for the defensive player of the month in March — Additionally to winning the player of the month, Luka was also a nominee for the defensive player of the month in March.
Have to admit, I didn't even know there is an award like that
https://preview.redd.it/rflzdzcp6usg1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=a1a9689e0d58b496ae66bb58e534247a1feba22f
From 2019–2026, the MVP has always had the most Player of the Month awards… except 2024 — I wanted to look at this specifically since Luka & SGA came into the league, and how MVP winners compare to Player of the Month (POTM) leaders.
They line up almost perfectly:
2019 — MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo | POTM: Giannis Antetokounmpo
2020 — MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo | POTM: Giannis Antetokounmpo
2021 — MVP: Nikola Jokic | POTM: Nikola Jokic / James Harden
2022 — MVP: Nikola Jokic | POTM: Nikola Jokic / Joel Embiid
2023 — MVP: Joel Embiid | POTM: Joel Embiid
2024 — MVP: Nikola Jokic
Luka Doncic breaks Kobe Bryant's record for most points scored in a month for a Los Angeles Laker — Luka Doncic broke NBA great Kobe Bryant's 20-year record for the most points scored by a Los Angeles Lakers player in a calendar month as they overcame the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-113.
Keep in mind Luka also was suspended a game against the Wizards, and may have broken the all time record for most pts in a month over Michael Jordan without it
https://www.bbc.com/sport/basketball/articles/c4gx2kwxgg9o