The Los Angeles Lakers will be one big man short when they play against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, March 27, for the second night of a back-to-back schedule.
Forward Rui Hachimura, who started and played 28 minutes in their 120-119 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, March 26, will sit out, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, in Chicago.
Hachimura previously missed 12 straight games due to patellar tendinopathy. This is likely a load management for the 6-foot-8 forward.
Hachimura hit a back-to-back 3-pointer inside the final 2:23 of the game that extended the Lakers’ lead to 118-112 after the Pacers pulled within two points. His big baskets served as a buffer for the Lakers, who relied on LeBron James‘ tip-in at the buzzer to pull off the win that snapped their two-game slide.
“I just stay ready,” Hachimura told Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell when asked about his two crucial 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. “JJ [Redick] told me right before I get [back] in [the game], I’m going to get the big shots so I stayed ready. I got those shots so it was good.”
The 27-year-old Japanese forward finished with 14 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. He added four rebounds and one assist.
Rui Hachimura Replacement
The Lakers will miss Hachimura’s outside shooting and his physicality on the defensive end against the Bulls, who dealt them a 31-point beating at home last week right before their current four-game road trip.
Hachimura is averaging 8.0 points on 50% 3-point shooting and 3.0 rebounds since he returned from his lengthy absence.
Dorian Finney-Smith is expected to start in place of Hachimura. Finney-Smith made three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two steals, one assist and a block against the Pacers.
The streak-busting win allowed the Lakers to stay in fourth place, tied with the Memphis Grizzlies, and three full games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.
Jordan Goodwin Earns Playoff Roster Spot
The Lakers have waived former lottery pick Cam Reddish to create roster space for Jordan Goodwin.
Goodwin, 26, has exhausted his eligibility as a two-way player for the Lakers after their win in Indiana.
The undrafted guard has played well enough to warrant a playoff roster spot for the Lakers. The undrafted guard is averaging 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.5 minutes while shooting 41% from the 3-point line.
A former lottery pick, Reddish was on an expiring $2.4 million contract. He was part of the outgoing package headlined by rookie Dalton Knecht and the 2031 first-round pick in the rescinded Lakers trade for Charlotte center Mark Williams.
Lakers Still Have Cap Room For One More Move
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Lakers are still well positioned below the second apron to convert or sign another player but would need to create a roster spot.
Centers Trey Jemison III and Christian Koloko, who are also on two-way deals, are candidates given the Lakers’ lack of depth behind starter Jaxson Hayes.
The Goodwin move was inevitable for the Lakers after the 6-foot-3 guard impressed Redick and his coaching staff with his defense and his improved 3-point shooting.
Redick and his coaching staff liked what they saw in Goodwin during the training camp. But a hamstring injury sidelined him. But once he recovered, the Lakers slowly brought him in via their G League affiliate.
“It would’ve happened sooner had he not hurt his hamstring,” Redick said after their loss to the Denver Nuggets on March 15.
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