The Los Angeles Lakers are in a bit of a holding pattern right now. They’ve shown flashes-like their recent win over the Warriors-but consistency continues to elude them.
That was evident again in their latest outing, where they let an eight-point lead slip away against the Oklahoma City Thunder, ultimately falling 119-110. After the game, LeBron James looked every bit the veteran leader carrying the weight of a team still trying to figure itself out.
And hovering over all of this is the absence of Luka Dončić.
Dončić, who’s been sidelined with a hamstring injury, remains the biggest question mark in Lakerland. The injury didn’t look catastrophic on replay-it was non-contact, which can sometimes be more concerning-but it’s the kind that can linger if not handled carefully.
Right now, the timeline is murky. Best-case scenario?
He’s out for a week or two. Worst-case?
He could miss up to two months. That’s a massive window, especially for a player leading the league in scoring at 32.8 points per game.
And make no mistake: the Lakers need him. With San Antonio up next, Dončić’s presence would’ve been a game-changer.
His ability to control pace, stretch the floor, and create for others is something the Lakers can’t replicate without him. For now, though, he remains sidelined, and the team will have to find answers elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the ripple effects of Dončić’s trade from Dallas to L.A. are still being felt. On the one-year anniversary of the blockbuster move, former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban didn’t hold back. In a recent interview, Cuban called the deal a mistake-plain and simple.
“It was a mistake, and I wish they would have spoken to me first,” Cuban said. “The people responsible for that [deal] are for the most part gone, which I think was necessary.”
That’s a rare bit of candor from one of the league’s most outspoken figures. And it’s telling.
Dončić wasn’t just a star in Dallas-he was the face of the franchise. A six-time All-Star at just 26, he was averaging 32.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists before the injury.
Those are MVP-level numbers, and the kind of production that’s hard to replace, no matter how deep your roster is.
For the Lakers, the focus now shifts to weathering the storm. They’ll need more from their supporting cast-more consistency, more urgency, more cohesion-until Dončić is ready to return.
And for fans, the countdown is already on. Because when Dončić is healthy, this team looks very different.
And with the postseason race heating up, the margin for error is shrinking fast.