When will Luka Doncic play for the Lakers? The latest update on his L.A. debut

Now that the Los Angeles Lakers have traded for former Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, there are plenty of fans of the team itching to see the Slovenian make his debut with the storied franchise.

However, the problem is that Doncic has been dealing with a calf injury for a while now and last suited up on Dec. 25. Plus, a report indicates that fans will have to wait for the Lakers to play at least a couple more games of their 82-game slate before Doncic takes the court with the team.

When will Luka play for the Lakers?

Feb. 6 update — The latest on Doncic indicates that he is now targeting Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz to make his Lakers debut, per Marc Stein.

Feb 3. update — Despite reports from ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, Shams Charania is now reporting that there’s “optimism” Doncic will make his Lakers debut on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers.

Spears claimed that Doncic is aiming to play his first game in a Lakers uniform next week and cited Los Angeles’ upcoming two contests against the Jazz on Feb. 10 and Feb. 12 as games that Doncic could make his team debut in.

The Lakers haven’t even played a single game since they traded for Doncic late on Saturday night. The team last took the court against the New York Knicks on Feb. 1, and the next game on its schedule is a bout against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

Before Los Angeles plays the Jazz twice in a row next week, the Lakers have three games to play. After taking on the crosstown Clippers, the storied franchise will then play the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 6. Finally, the Lakers have a home game against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers slated for Feb. 8.

It should be fascinating to find out how the Lakers will perform on both ends of the floor over their next several games assuming Doncic won’t make his team debut until Feb. 10 at the earliest. Anthony Davis contributed so much for the Lakers both offensively and defensively, and the Lakers are certainly a worse defensive team on paper now that the big man is a member of the Mavericks.

In light of Spears’ report regarding when Doncic will play his first NBA game with a team outside of the Mavericks, Lakers fans should make sure to have their calendars marked for the dates Feb. 10 and Feb. 12.