Very quietly, Rui Hachimura has been putting up his second back-to-back terrific season with the Lakers, starting for most of the season at the forward spot alongside LeBron James. They’re not a conventional duo at the position, but each plays with some muscle and heft that balances out a lack of pure height, and their defensive versatility is a key for the Lakers’ success.
Hachimura, who came over in a steal of a trade with the Wizards in 2023, is averaging 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds, shooting 50.2% from the field and 41.0% from the 3-point line. He’s started all 50 games in which he has appeared.
But he was out of the lineup against the Knicks on Thursday, marking the fourth straight game he has missed with patellar tendinopathy in his left knee.
The Lakers, obviously, need Hachimura back sooner rather than later. The team is traveling to Boston on Saturday, as part of a four-game, week-long road trip that also goes through Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Denver.
It’s a brutal trip–the Celtics are the defending champs and have the third-best record in the NBA, while the Bucks are fourth in the East and have won eight of their last nine. The Nuggets are in an essential tie with the Lakers for the No. 2 seed in the West, and are 12-3 in their last 15.
So when will see Hachimura back in a Lakers uniform?
Speaking before the Knicks game on Thursday, coach JJ Redick said that Hachimura will be re-evaluated on Friday. He is not likely to play on Saturday in Boston, but Redick was asked whether he would at least accompany the team on the trip.
The Lakers would not take Hachimura on the trip if they were not intending on playing him in the coming four games. That, no doubt, is a good sign for the Lakers about his potential return.
