Although the Los Angeles Lakers brought back most of their roster from the Western Conference Finals run, the continuity and chemistry hasn’t quite shown on the floor yet.
LeBron James acknowledged that the continuity piece will take time, and that has led to some disappointing losses early on in the 2023-24 season. The Lakers lost to the Sacramento Kings in an overtime thriller where James was forced to play well above the minutes limit that the team had set for him.
It was frustrating to see Los Angeles let go of the rope in the extra period, but it also made their game against the Orlando Magic even tougher since it came on the second end of a back-to-back. Although the Lakers ended up winning, they had to do it shorthanded as they were without Rui Hachimura.
Hachimura was ruled out due to a left eye contusion and Darvin Ham explained he and the medical staff felt it best to have him sit the game out.
“I don’t recall exactly when it happened,” Ham said. “I remember him grabbing it though and obviously waking up after sleeping with it, had a tough night sleeping, been sensitive to light which triggers headaches. Thought it would be best for him to sit this one out.
Ham also said that Hachimura will be listed as day-to-day moving forward.
Hachimura has had a rough go to start the season as he hasn’t looked completely comfortable scoring the basketball, and now he could be in danger of missing more than just one game. The organization has typically been overly cautious when it comes to player health, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the forward miss some time.
The next time the Lakers play is on Wednesday against the L.A. Clippers, which gives Hachimura at least a couple of days to rest and recover. The Clippers have had the Lakers’ number in the regular season, so getting Hachimura back would be a huge boost for the team.
Darvin Ham admits he needs to dig in to figure out rotations
Although fans were happy with the purple and gold’s offseason signings, Ham has had some trouble figuring out the best lineup combinations. The talent and depth can make it difficult to settle on a rotation, and Ham acknowledged that he would need to dig into the roster in order to settle on a rotation that makes more sense.
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