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Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers defends as Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles during the second half of a game at Mortgage Matchup Center on December 14, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Rui Hachimura (groin strain) for at least one more week, head coach JJ Redick announced before Tuesday’s 128-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
“He’ll be out around a week,” Redick told reporters, while confirming that Hachimura suffered his injury during Sunday’s win over the Sacramento Kings.
“He’ll miss a couple of games, and we’ll get him ramped up. Hopefully, he’s playing again next week,” Redick said of his team’s starting power forward.
Hachimura — shooting a career-high 44.5% from three — has been the Lakers’ most efficient and consistent knockdown shooter this week, which is saying a lot for a team that ranks 25th in the league in 3P%. Although Luka Doncic (3.4) and Austin Reaves (2.7) have averaged more made threes per game than Hachimura (1.8), the Lakers’ starting backcourt hasn’t been as efficient, with Doncic shooting 32% from deep.
Lakers Can’t Find a Rhythm
Hachimura sat out Tuesday’s game, forcing the Lakers to trot out their 17th different starting combination this season through just 31 contests. With both Hachimura and Reaves (grade 2 calf strain) sitting out, Redick started Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Luka Doncic.
That first-time unit did not fare well, as LaRavia (-18) and Smart (-24) shot a combined 4-of-13 from the floor and became nearly unplayable from an offensive standpoint.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they may have no option but to persist with the same starting five when they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. LeBron James has urged his teammates to embrace a “next man up” mentality, while admitting that the plethora of injuries has hindered his team from developing any sustained rhythm.
Lakers Injury Concerns Mount
“We haven’t had our full team all year,” said James, who has missed 16 games thus far, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“…We have our All-Star two-guard [Reaves] out, Rui is out, Gabe [Vincent] has been out for a minute, Jaxon [Hayes] just came back. It’s very hard to get a rhythm and chemistry when you don’t know which guys you’re playing with every night.
“…No excuses, we still have to go out and execute,” James added.
Redick echoed James’ sentiments in his postgame news conference.
“The players, staff, everybody, we’ve really tried to play the right way every night and have the right intent,” Redick said of the Lakers injury concerns, via LATimes.
“The flow of lineups and rotations and all that has been challenging for everybody, not just the coaches. It’s a challenge for the players. And building an identity is difficult.”
“I think that’s hard to figure out with this team right now.”
The loss to the Pistons meant that the Lakers ended the month of December with a 5-7 record and a negative points differential of -7.8. Even more worryingly, Redick’s team allowed opponents to average 120.3 points per game through 12 games in the month.
The Lakers (20-11) will try to turn things around in their first game of 2026 when they host the Memphis Grizzlies (15-18) on Friday.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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