Rui Hachimura will once again sit on the second night of a back-to-back, out for the Lakers with left patellar tendinopathy as they take on the Pelicans.
The Lakers will be without Rui Hachimura on Friday, the second night of their back-to-back, as he will be out with left patellar tendinopathy.
Hachimura has recently returned from injury, but has acknowledged that he doesn’t feel he’s at 100% health just yet.
Given that he is also still on a minute restriction, it’s a bummer, but it’s not a surprise that he is not featured in this back-to-back matchup.
Rui Hachimura is out tonight, per the Lakers pic.twitter.com/KlR28Gjumc
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 4, 2025
On Thursday, Hachimura played 34 minutes in the Lakers’ loss against the Warriors.
This was his longest time on the court since returning from injury. However, with this being the second to last back-to-back, it seems the Lakers are using an abundance of caution with Hachimura playing in these kinds of games.
Hachimura has been a perennial starter for the Lakers, averaging 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists on the season.
So far, Rui is the only new player out for the Lakers. Maxi Kleber remains unavailable, but he has been cleared for on-court activities. LeBron James is listed on the injury report as probable with a left groin strain.
LeBron has often been listed as probable and has played in these last seven games since returning from injury, so Lakers fans should expect the oldest player in the NBA to suit up against New Orleans.
With every game critical, not having Hachimura available will undoubtedly hurt, but the Pelicans are tanking, so hopefully the Lakers can take care of business even though they will be down a starter.
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