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WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates in front of Jamir Watkins #5 of the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 30, 2026 in Washington, DC.

The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled in their first two games of the second round of the NBA playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, now down 2-0, as the team is still without Luka Doncic, who remains sidelined with a grade 2 hamstring strain.

While Doncic is still without an official return timeline, signs point to the star not returning for the Lakers in this series, and they face an uphill battle against the defending champions.

However, Skip Bayless doesn’t think the Lakers playing without Doncic is a problem, as in his return to ESPN’s First Take show, the pundit said he doesn’t think Los Angeles is better with the star player healthy and on the court.

Skip Bayless Delivers Bold Luka Doncic Take After Lakers’ Game 2 Loss

Following the Lakers’ Game 2 loss against the Thunder on Thursday night, Bayless doesn’t believe that Doncic would make a difference in the second-round series for Los Angeles, as he said the Lakers are worse on both sides of the floor when the Slovenian is healthy and playing.

“The Los Angeles Lakers are better both ends of the floor basketball team without Luka [Doncic],” Bayless said, while giving credit to the Thunder through the first two games of the series. “What are my issues with Luka? He is the most inefficient player in the league, and it ain’t even close.”

Bayless discussed how in the April 2 Lakers-Thunder game that saw both Doncic and Austin Reaves go down with injuries, Los Angeles already had no chance of coming out victorious.

Further speaking about Doncic, Bayless didn’t hold back on the star’s impact and why his presence doesn’t make the Lakers a better team.

“Yes he might lead the league in scoring, but he’s going to lead the league in usage rate. He’s going to lead the league in turnovers. He’s going to lead the league in shots attempted,” Bayless added. “He dominates the basketball so much that with him, the Lakers’ offense that moved the ball so beautifully (in Game 2)…it just degenerates into a lot of standing around and watching Luka dribble, dribble, dribble and create a shot.”

Bayless is correct that Doncic led the NBA in scoring, turnovers, usage rate, and field goals attempted during the regular season. However, with him on the court, the Lakers went 43-21 this year, compared to just 10-8 without him.

Bayless, known for his ‘hot takes,’ wasn’t afraid to throw another one out there after the Lakers’ Game 2 loss to the Thunder as they continue to play without Doncic.

When Is Luka Doncic Coming Back?

Doncic remains out indefinitely with his grade 2 hamstring strain, and the Lakers have not offered an official return timeline.

According to Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Doncic is not expected to return for Los Angeles in their current series against the Thunder.

Additionally, when breaking his silence to the media for the first time after suffering his injury, Doncic told reporters that doctors said he would be out for at least eight weeks, which is a lot longer than the initial four-to-six-week timeline that was first reported when he was sidelined.

“When you talk about eight weeks, that would suggest he’s nowhere close to a return,” McMenamin said on a recent SportsCenter appearance. “He didn’t flat-out say that he wouldn’t return in this series, but his body language and answers let all of us in the room with him yesterday to believe that we’re not going to see Luka Doncic in this series against the Thunder.”

Doncic has progressed slightly with his on-court work, but has yet to participate in full-contact scrimmages. He doesn’t appear close to returning for the Lakers, and if that eight-week timeline was true, he wouldn’t be available until the NBA Finals, which, at this point, doesn’t look like a place Los Angeles will be, especially with how their series against the Thunder has gone so far.

But regardless, Bayless doesn’t appear to think that the Lakers getting Doncic back would make a difference. While they did beat the Houston Rockets in six games, from an outside lens, it looks like they could use him now against Oklahoma City, but based on recent injury updates, it doesn’t look like that will happen.