In a 2023-24 season that has thus far been highlighted by the surprisingly great health of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, several role players across the LA roster have been dealing with an array of ailments, including D'Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent , and Rui Hachimura.
Hachimura has missed 13 games this season for different reasons, including a concussion, needing to get nose surgery, and now, dealing with a calf strain. He's missed the past 4 games.
Khobi Price of The Orange County Register reports that LA is looking to "go through the process and then see where [he] lands," suggesting that the injury and its severity remain undetermined heading into their matchup with Phoenix tonight, and into the future.
A recent injury report, shared by The Athletic's Jovan Buha, implies that Hachimura will be out, as he's been downgraded to doubtful.
This is a big blow for the Lakers as it pertains to capitalizing on their advantages against the Suns, who lack depth and consistent scoring outside of their top guys. Hachimura would've had major matchup advantages coming off the bench and squaring off against a measly Suns second unit, but without him, LA will have to look elsewhere for the double-digit output Rui is typically good for.
This also hurts their advantage that comes from size and physicality, as Hachimura is a matchup nightmare for lighter wings, as his 6-foot-8, 230-pound frame typically enables him to push around most of his matchups, and the Suns lack people of that stature.
Without him, Phoenix's flaws of a poor bench and limited size will both be pretty hidden, opening the door to a potential (and likely) upset for the 1-point underdogs.
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