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By Tyler Erzberger
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The Los Angeles Lakers are alive.
When the team qualified for the playoffs, even as the home favorite over the Houston Rockets, they were massive underdogs.
Why? Their two best scorers, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, were both out.
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And while Reaves returned at the end of the six-game series to finish off the Rockets, Doncic stayed on the bench, sidelined with a hamstring injury.
So, will the Slovenian superstar be back for the team's next playoff matchup with the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder?
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Although Doncic went to Europe in hopes of expediting his return to the court from the hamstring he pulled a month ago against the very same Thunder, it doesn't appear as if the NBA's leading scorer will be healthy enough to play in the upcoming playoff series.
Be it precautionary or physically incapable, Doncic hasn't even gotten back to running or been part of practice, which would be the first step in a week-long process to get up to speed before returning to the court.
If Doncic returned early from his ailment and pushed himself too fast, there would be a high chance of him aggravating the injury further and forcing him to have an even longer rehab stint during the offseason.
Per medical professional Jesse Morse on social media, the quickest Doncic could possibly return would be Game 4 of the series against the Thunder.
And if the Lakers are already down 0-3, looking down the barrel of the impossible, would they decide to have Doncic come back, possibly risking greater injury in the future?
Doncic will do his best to get out there to face off with the Thunder in the second round. But if you're the Lakers' brain trust, it might be best to lose the upcoming battle to win the ultimate war of eventually winning an NBA championship with Doncic.
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