The Los Angeles Lakers released an update to their injury report for Saturday night’s game against the L.A. Clippers, with Rui Hachimura being downgraded to out with right groin soreness.
This means the Lakers will be without three starters with Deandre Ayton (left elbow soreness) and Austin Reaves (left calf strain) also being ruled out, as well as bench guard Gabe Vincent (low back soreness). Although those injuries are not believed to be significant, the Lakers will be shorthanded once again against the Clippers.
Hachimura had suited up in 25 out of the first 26 games for the Lakers and became a critical offensive piece for the team. The former Gonzaga Bulldog is averaging 13.3 points and 3.8 rebounds on 48.9% from the field and 45.6% from 3-point range.
An assumption could be made that Marcus Smart will remain in the starting lineup with Jake LaRavia occupying Hachimura’s spot. Smart is coming off a 17-point performance with five made 3-pointers against the Utah Jazz, and LaRavia bounced back after shooting struggles with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
In addition, Jarred Vanderbilt and perhaps Dalton Knecht or rookie Adou Thiero could receive an uptick in minutes. Vanderbilt, in particular, has been a bright spot the last couple of games after falling out of head coach JJ Redick’s rotation.
What made Vanderbilt valuable was his rebounding and he has a total of 18 rebounds in the last two contests. He is giving the Lakers extra opportunities and Redick is looking for someone to try and guard Kawhi Leonard.
It is worth mentioning that the Clippers are in a free fall right now with a record of 6-21, with seemingly everything going wrong. James Harden missed their last game due to a calf injury, but he is set to make his return after only a one-game absence.
After putting up 145 points against Utah, it will be intriguing to see if Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the Lakers can sustain that level of production against another struggling opponent.
Rui Hachimura accomplishes dream of making first buzzer-beater
This offseason was an interesting one for Hachimura as he was extension eligible, but it appeared talks were never had about keeping him around in Los Angeles long-term. So by entering a contract year, he needed to prove his worth by fitting next to LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Up to this point, Hachimura has been a great secondary scorer and extremely reliable spacer as a 3-point shooter. One of the highlights of this early season is hitting a corner 3 buzzer-beater against the Toronto Raptors and he shared that was a dream of his to win the game at the horn.
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