Lakers Get Encouraging Sign From Luka Doncic—But One Big Question Remains

Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team World guard Luka Doncic (77) of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots against Team USA Stars guard Anthony Edwards (5) of the Minnesota Timberwolves in game one during the 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is officially in the books, with the Los Angeles Lakers set to get back to work on Friday against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.

During the All-Star Game, superstar guard Luka Doncic made his return to the basketball floor after missing four straight games for the Lakers due to a hamstring injury. Even though Doncic played only five minutes, finishing with two points and two assists for Team World, it was a step in the right direction for the NBA MVP candidate.

Luka Doncic Gives an Update on Status for Friday's Game

After the All-Star Game, Doncic spoke briefly to the media, reflecting on the weekend's events and providing an update on his status for Friday's game against the Clippers.

“It was good,” Doncic said. “Obviously, I wanted to go out there. The fans voted me to be in this game so I wanted to be there and be part of it a little bit. But felt good.”

Although he is far from committing to playing against the Clippers on Feb. 20, Doncic left the door open to return for the Lakers on Friday.

“We’ll see,” Doncic said on whether he'll play Friday.

The matchup against the Clippers will be the first of the Lakers' final 28 regular-season games. The team will need Doncic as healthy as possible for the final stretch if JJ Redick and company hope to secure a high seed in the Western Conference before heading into the NBA playoffs.

Luka Doncic Believes Lakers are a Championship-Caliber Team

The remaining games on the regular-season schedule will be challenging, to say the least, with the Lakers facing some of the best teams in both conferences.

However, Doncic remains confident that the Lakers are a championship-caliber team and can win an NBA title this season, via Chris Haynes of NBATV.

“Obviously, we’re trying to win the championship," Doncic said. "I think we can do it, we have the team for it. But obviously we’ve had a lot of injuries, me, Bron, AR, everybody has been out some time. So now coming back from All-Star, I think everybody is healthy, so that will be a good test for us.”

With the Lakers not being a good defensive team and having dealt with their fair share of injuries to their best players, it's tough to label them title contenders at the moment, but they no doubt have the talent to be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.