The Los Angeles Lakers have recently been one of the top teams in the NBA. Over the past month and a half in 25 games, they have a 20-5 record and rank sixth in offensive rating and first in defensive rating. After the drastic blockbuster trade for the purple and gold, Rui Hachimura is a prominent piece in the success they’ve had. Just over a week ago, Hachimura exited the game after suffering a knee injury against the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 27th. Since then, he has made progress in his recovery and is looking to return relatively soon—just in time for him to ramp back up and be impactful before the playoffs start.
Lakers’ Rui Hachimura Nearing a Return
Update on Injury
Following the injury, a few days later, Hachimura was diagnosed with patellar tendinopathy and would be re-evaluated a week later, leading up to the recent update from coach JJ Redick.
“He’s in return-to-play protocol,” Redick said. “He’s doing well, ramping up some on-court stuff. I’ll have an update probably in a week for you.”
Hachimura will miss the remaining road games up to March 14th against the Denver Nuggets. Assuming all goes well and with the news from Redick, we could expect to see Hachimura back on the court by next week. This is positive and quite important, moving towards the end of the season. You want your players not to be stagnant heading into the playoffs, which is around 6 weeks away. Considering the unfortunate news of LeBron James‘s groin injury against the Celtics, the Lakers could use a return from the 27-year-old forward sooner rather than later. James is expected to miss 1 to 2 weeks.
Rui Hachimura’s Level of Play
Hachimura has been great this season, averaging 13.3 points per game, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 steals while shooting 50.6% from the field and 41% from three in 50 games. In the 10 games before his injury, Hachimuara averaged 17.5 points on 53.2 percent shooting, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists over 35.1 minutes per game. His role has continued to grow and elevate since the Luka Dončić–Anthony Davis trade. Hacimura is seeing more usage of his game, especially an increase in minutes per game. He’s finding more open looks from his teammates in Dončić, James, and Austin Reaves, being able to knock down the three more efficiently. Without Davis, he is also finding a stronger role in the paint. With his presence down low, he’s been able to use his size to get good looks and space to operate for his mid-range.
While Hachimura is continuing to level up his game, the Lakers will need the reinforcement he brings to the team. When he is not on the court, the Lakers tend to take a step back defensively, especially without his offensive capabilities. Given the reassuring news from Redick, we could expect a more clarifying update toward the end of this week. The hope is to get Rui Hachimura back on the floor to help this team in an important final stretch for the purple and gold.
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