Luka Doncic’s turbulent February hasn’t gotten much better. After slowly easing back from his calf strain, the Slovenian has so far failed to impress in purple and gold. To make matters worse, the Lakers have lost two consecutive games to two of the worst teams in the league. Of course, this has Lakers fans worried about their season, but NBA insider Shams Charania says there’s no reason to panic yet.
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Taking to ESPN’s GetUp, Charania explained that Luka’s slow start in LA is to be expected. He reminded fans that Luka’s calf injury, which sidelined him for nearly a month and a half, was the worst he’d ever experienced in his career, so it’s completely natural for Doncic not to return to his full strength immediately.
“He’s played 3 games since Christmas, and that calf injury had sidelined him for the most significant point of his entire career,” Charania said. The insider also revealed that Doncic will take some time to adjust to the Lakers’ offensive style of play.
Talking about the decline in the Slovenian’s action, Shams said, “His usage rate is down from upwards of 36% over the last few seasons to just over 32 with the Lakers.”
Even for a player as naturally talented as Luka, it takes time to adjust to an entirely new system, and that’s the main reason behind his slow start in LA.
.@ShamsCharania with the latest on when the Lakers can expect Luka Doncic to be fully healthy ✍️ pic.twitter.com/pseaqgyTQU
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 20, 2025
Of course, there are basketballing reasons for Luka’s slow start, but according to Shams, it’s the non-basketball reasons that have had the most impact on him. Charania claimed,
“He’s shellshocked. That’s been the vibe around him ever since the trade, and once he gets the rhythm and the routine and gets his legs under him, I think that’s when we’ll see Luka Doncic perform the way we’re accustomed to.”
Now, a player would never admit to being plagued by psychological issues, but Luka has had his own thought process on why he’s started slowly in LA.
Luka Doncic blames his struggles on injury break
While he’s only been in the NBA for 7 years, Luka has been playing professional basketball for 10+. He made his name in the EuroLeague, and the injury he suffered on Christmas was the biggest one he’s ever had.
A month and a half off does a lot to disrupt anyone from their rhythm, but coming back to a new team and a new system and different teammates can make life harder for even the best of us.
While he’s enjoying life in LA and loves representing “one of the greatest clubs in the world” as he puts it, Luka has admitted that the long injury break has thrown him off.
Luka on the slump he's on:
"I've never missed this much time so this is something new to me" pic.twitter.com/ebdEAaoUVN
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 20, 2025
Doncic has never played fewer than 61 games in any season of his career, but this year, even if he plays all the Lakers’ remaining games, he’d only notch up 54. It’s a huge change for him, and as he said in a press conference, “I haven’t missed this much time, so it’s something new to me.”
The Lakers are still comfortably 5th in the West, so they can afford Luka Doncic some time to get back to his best. There’s no doubt he’s one of the best players in the world, and the Lakers want to give him time to return to that version of himself.
