Thunder coach Mark Daigneault’s revealing Luka Doncic take ahead of Lakers series

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Josue Pavon, ClutchPoints

Sat, May 2, 2026 at 8:12 PM UTC ·

2 min read

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault’s revealing Luka Doncic take ahead of Lakers series appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Luka Doncic ’s impending return ahead of their Western Conference semifinal series. After Daigneault and the Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns in the opening round of the playoffs, they’re preparing for the Lakers, whom they’ll face in the Western Conference semifinals.

Daigneault discussed Doncic’s looming return and its impact on the Thunder, per Thunder Wire’s Clemente Almanza.

“It’d be best for everybody if everybody was available all the time. That’d be the best product for the fans, best for me, best for the teams, best for the players. It’s obviously not realistic,” Daigneault said. “We go into every series preparing for every possibility. And we’ll go into this series prepared. Obviously, he would change a lot for them if he plays, but we’ll be prepared for every situation, including him playing or not playing.”

Doncic suffered a Grade-2 hamstring strain against the Thunder on April 2. The Lakers are hopeful for a potential return on the backend of their best-of-7 series against Oklahoma City .

Mark Daigneault prepares for Lakers’ Austin Reaves

While Lakers All-Star Luka Doncic will not be available at the start of the series, Austin Reaves made his return in their best-of-7 series against the Rockets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander watched the Lakers-Rockets series . He revealed this after sweeping the Suns, meaning Gilgeous-Alexander most likely has had eyes on Reaves, who recovered from a strained oblique, in Games 5 and 6.

Head coach Mark Daigneault addressed what Reaves’ return to the Lakers means for the Thunder.

“They’re adding an extremely high usage player that’s great at drawing fouls, really savvy shooter at all three levels,” Daigneault said. “He’s just a very crafty, skilled player and someone that they can play through. Somebody that they can get the ball to and then can generate offense for them. Anytime any team adds a player like that, it’s potent. It certainly changes the equation when he’s in there. His usage was through the roof last game.”

The Thunder will host the Lakers in Game 1 at the Paycom Center on Tuesday