Although Rui Hachimura does not appear to be in top shape, JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers have no plan to slow down. As fans should be aware, the Lakers have been doing well over the past few games and are currently on a five-game winning streak.
After their game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Redick was interviewed, revealing Hachimura is dealing with an injury. Since he has been one of the Lakers’ cornerstones this season, fans must be concerned and want to know more about the issue.
Dorian Finney-Smith Is Ready To Take Over for Rui Hachimura With the Lakers
While there is no denying that Hachimura has been heavily underrated for the Lakers this season and is hard to replace, Dorian Finney-Smith revealed that he is ready to fill in the gap that Hachimura will temporarily leave on the Lakers’ roster.
According to Redick, Hachimura is dealing with patella tendinopathy, a common knee injury. The Lakers are expected to evaluate him after a week.
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In a short postgame walk-off interview, Finney-Smith assured Lakers fans that he would hold things down until Hachimura returned.
JJ Redick said postgame that Rui Hachimura has patella tendinopathy, and they’ll re-evaluate him in approximately one week.
Dorian Finney-Smith said in the walkoff interview that he’ll hold it down until Rui gets back.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 1, 2025
While Finney-Smith may be ready to replace Hachimura, the stats indicate that Hachimura is the better player for the Lakers. Finney-Smith has averaged around eight points and four rebounds, while Hachimura has averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds.
If Hachimura does not play in the upcoming games, Finney-Smith will be given more time on the court and more responsibility, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Finney-Smith will make almost $15 million and now has a chance to prove his worth.
Since the Lakers have been doing well, they are in no real danger of being eliminated from postseason contention. However, they cannot afford to take things easy or willingly give up a single game. After all, the Western Conference is highly competitive, and a small losing streak could result in the Lakers finding themselves in the play-in tournament.
In any case, the team is doing quite well and is expected to continue to do so, even without Hachimura. Fans are left pondering what the Lakers’ ceiling for this season looks like.
