The Los Angeles Lakers walked away from their Feb. 27 encounter with the Minnesota Timberwolves with two clear takeaways. One was that JJ Redick has the team on track for its best season since the championship year in 2019-20, having improved to 36-21 with 25 games remaining on the schedule.
The other was the unfortunate reality check that the resurgent Rui Hachimura could be sidelined or otherwise hindered after suffering a knee injury.
Hachimura had been on fire in recent weeks, posting averages of 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 three-point field goals made over his past 11 games entering Feb. 27. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury after playing just 18 minutes during the Lakers' 111-102 win over the Timberwolves.
Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick was mum on the nature of the injury but expressed hope that it wasn't severe.
JJ Redick on Rui Hachimura’s left knee strain: “We’ll get more information in the next 24 hours … I am not going to speculate on the severity of the injury. I am hopeful it’s nothing serious”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 28, 2025
Hachimura has taken a significant step forward in every phase of the game in 2024-25, and his value to the team is about to be tested as he recovers from the injury.
Rui Hachimura's injury will test how important he is to Lakers
The numbers that Hachimura has accumulated in recent weeks paint an intriguing picture. He's found his niche as a scorer, posting six 20-point games in his previous 11 outings, and even showing a more assertive nature on the glass.
Perhaps most importantly, Hachimura has made significant progress on the defensive end of the floor since the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
I asked JJ Redick pregame about Rui Hachimura improving on defense: “He’s made improvements throughout the season.” #Lakeshow pic.twitter.com/kRvc7jODnd
— LoJo Media (@LoJoMedia) February 28, 2025
Unfortunately, Hachimura's injury has thrown the Lakers' rotation into a state of uncertainty. Their perimeter depth was an essential strength after the Luka Doncic trade, with the trio of Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Jarred Vanderbilt creating a three-headed monster on defense at forward.
Compounded by the improvements that LeBron James has made on defense, the Lakers have been arguably the best team in the NBA.
That might seem like an outlandish claim, but the numbers and records support it. Los Angeles has an NBA-leading record of 16-4 since Jan. 15. It's ranked No. 1 in defensive rating, No. 3 in net rating, and No. 9 in offensive rating during that time.
Hachimura has played a significant role in that success with his defensive consistency, infectious energy, and uptick in offensive production.
Los Angeles will now be forced to navigate an uncertain immediate future with Hachimura nursing an injury. Finney-Smith, James, and Vanderbilt give it an impressive collection of forwards to work with, but there's no way around how important Hachimura has been.
Unfortunately, the injury bug bit the Lakers at a time when Hachimura was finally proving that he is by no means expendable.