The Los Angeles Lakers announced that starting forward Rui Hachimura is dealing with an illness and is listed as doubtful to play in Wednesday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
It’s reached that time of year where many people get sick, so hopefully the illness for Hachimura isn’t too bad and doesn’t spread through the Lakers’ locker room.
It comes at a less-than-ideal time given all of the injuries in the Lakers’ frontcourt. They have already been thin to start the season as Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood recover from injuries, and now it looks like both Hachimura and Anthony Davis could be out as well against Memphis in the final game of the road trip.
Davis is listed as questionable for the game after suffering a left heel contusion in Monday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons. While the All-Star big man has already said he plans to continue playing despite the injury, that will likely depend on how he feels pregame. The Lakers will not want to risk the injury becoming more serious if Davis plays through it, especially this early in the season.
The Lakers will have one frontcourt player available in Memphis for the first time this season though and that is two-way player Christian Koloko. He recently got cleared for a return from blood clots and could be in line for minutes against the Grizzlies, especially now that Hachimura is unlikely to play.
If Hachimura is indeed unable to go then the Lakers will have a starting lineup change for the first time this season. Given the size on the Grizzlies’ frontline with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey, it will be interesting to see who Lakers head coach JJ Redick goes with to replace Hachimura.
The candidates are Jaxson Hayes, who may need to start regardless if Davis is out, and smaller wings like Cam Reddish, Dalton Knecht and Max Christie.
The Lakers’ lack of depth has already shown to begin the season, and that will only continue as more players miss time due to various ailments throughout the year.
Lakers star Anthony Davis has been dealing with heel injury since summer
While Anthony Davis hurt his heel in the Lakers’ loss to the Pistons on Monday, the big man revealed that he actually had been dealing with the issue since the summer.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’ll talk to the trainers, well my trainer, and figure out what exactly is going on. I’ve been managing it since this summer honestly and trying to do everything before the game to be on the floor. Kinda just landed directly on the spot that’s been killing me. So we’ll figure it out.”
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