NBA
Lakers injury update: Luka Doncic will ‘never’ be at 100% this season
Joe Lyons is a sports writer and basketball expert for Basketball Insiders. Joe has a keen eye for the betting markets within the NBA and a great passion for the game of basketball. also been published by Nottingham Forest FC, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of other sports including soccer, horse racing darts and American football. Joe specialises in long form SEO content alongside news, tips and betting.
All posts by Joe LyonsUpdated14 Feb 2025
Newly acquired Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is not going to be at full health at any point this season according to a team insider.
Lakers injury update: “Doncic is never going to be 100%”
Doncic hasn’t exactly started his career as a Laker with a bang, recording 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in his debut followed by 16 points, four rebounds and four assists – both against the Utah Jazz.
It’s quite obvious the Slovenian isn’t fully healthy and his inclusion on injury reports with a calf strain have only added fuel to the fire, as well as being on a minutes restriction.
Lakers insider, Jovan Buha of The Athletic, revealed Doncic is never going to be at 100% and he could also be playing through issues that aren’t listed on the injury report.
“He’s (Doncic) never going to be 100%. These guys are constantly dealing with stuff. And a lot of times, it’s stuff we don’t even know about, or it’s stuff that’s not public, and they just don’t want people to know.
“You could tweak your knee and just play through that, and it’s not on the injury report.”
Luka Doncic said he’s excited for the mental break that will come this week, but that he’ll keep working out as he gets his rhythm back, and that he can’t wait to resume playing games next week.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 13, 2025
The 25-year-old suffered a calf strain on Christmas and his first two games in a Lakers uniform were on his return from injury, so naturally it’s going to take some time to get up to speed.
With All-Star weekend on our doorstep, this will give Doncic a bit of respite to get his body ready to attack the final stretch of the regular season.
Doncic is widely regarded as a generational talent and Lakers fans are still in disbelief that they were able to land the young superstar for an ageing veteran in Anthony Davis who also had his fair share of injury trouble.
Los Angeles have their franchise cornerstone to build around in the post-LeBron James era and there is no doubt the team is in good hands.
