The Los Angeles Lakers have been playing their best basketball in recent weeks despite some key players dealing with injuries.
The Lakers were down two starters in their game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night when they were going for their ninth straight win. Jaxson Hayes missed the contest with knee soreness while Rui Hachimura was ruled out for a fifth consecutive game due to left patellar tendinopathy.
When Hachimura originally got hurt in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was expected to be re-evaluated in one week. That week has gone by and while Hachimura is making progress, head coach JJ Redick revealed he will be out at least one more week, via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:
JJ Redick on Rui Hachimura:
“He’s doing well, ramping up some on-court stuff. I’ll have an update probably in a week for you.”
Hachimura will remain out on the current road trip, with games tonight (BOS), Monday (BKN), Thursday (MIL) and Friday (DEN).
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 9, 2025
While it’s unfortunate that Hachimura will miss some challenging games coming up on the schedule, especially in the wake of LeBron James getting hurt as well, it makes sense to be cautious to ensure he’s 100% healthy before returning. At this stage of the season, the Lakers can’t afford to have lingering injuries to key players ahead of the playoffs.
Hachimura has been a huge weapon for L.A. this season with him improving on both sides of the ball. If Lakers are going to do any damage this season then they need the 27-year-old healthy for the stretch run.
Pelicans’ Trey Murphy praises Lakers’ defense
Regardless of who has been in the lineup, the Lakers have been defending at a high level, drawing praise from New Orleans Pelicans sharpshooter Trey Murphy after their recent matchup.
“Pretty good team, really good team. I think the biggest thing that stood out to me is them defensively,” Murphy said on his podcast. “They play a really smart defense where they shut off driving lanes, they help off of guys and they try to funnel everything into the paint. But, also try to take away paint points. It’s really hard to explain, but they do a lot of peel switching. Where if one guy gets beat, there’s another guy there that takes the driver and they kick out to the 3-point line. It’s pretty good defense, I guess JJ [Redick] has done something good with defense for once in his life.”
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