Whenever the injury report is an important topic of discussion, that’s not a good sign. That’s where the Lakers find themselves at currently, with Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent all missing the team’s most recent contest against the Clippers.
Then you add Luka Dončić ruled out in the second half against the Clippers, and suddenly updates and returns become a top priority.
Before the loss to the Clippers, head coach JJ Redick gave updates on his players’ condition.
He said that both Ayton
and Reaves are progressing well. While he didn’t say they would play in the team’s next game against the Suns, he also didn’t rule them out.
Ayton has missed the past two games with left elbow soreness. That’s not the most serious injury possible, so hopefully another couple of days will give him the recovery he needs to play on Tuesday.
Reaves has been out for over a week now with a left calf strain. The Lakers have indicated they are being cautious with the injury. If he plays on Tuesday, that’d mean he would have 13 days between games.
Hachimura is much further from returning compared to Reaves and Ayton. His right groin soreness forced him to miss the contest against the Clippers, but he will most certainly be missing at least one more.
Redick said there is hope he will be out for just 3-5 days. He doesn’t view it as a long-term injury.
At 3-5 days out, Hachimura will miss the game against the Suns and possibly the Christmas Day matchup at home against the Rockets.
News of Luka is still needed, so that’s another player Lakers fans will want to hear some good news on.
At this point, the best-case scenario is Reaves and Ayton back for Tuesday’s game and everyone returning for the Christmas Day game.
That’s unlikely to happen, but hopefully, some players begin returning soon. As everyone saw against the Clippers, being this shorthanded makes beating any NBA team a tough task to accomplish.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
