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After Rui Hachimura battled a knee injury, the Los Angeles Lakers forward has something new to address. He's wearing a mask ahead of Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, after being hit in the face.
As head coach JJ Redick said, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, “he will wear a mask as a precaution for a ‘little bit' moving forward and is ‘fine' otherwise after being hit in the face in Game 2.”
The Japanese forward has been a crucial part of the Lakers' lineup since joining the team. He has a unique blend of athleticism, size, shooting, and versatility.
He's strong enough to guard power forwards and some centers. Simultaneously, he's quick enough to stay in front of guards. The inverse can happen on the offensive side as well.
However, the Timberwolves have a major size advantage in the paint. Guys like Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid make the Lakers' lives difficult in the paint.
Having Hachimura in the game can negate some of those mismatches inside the paint. It won't solve the entire problem, but it can soften the blow. At this stage of the game, lessening the blow could be the difference between a win and a loss.
Lakers' Rui Hachimura will be good to go
Even though Redick said he will be wearing a mask, he didn't say what mask. Obviously, it's a facial mask but it could be one for a broken nose, or an orbital fracture.
The severity of the injury hasn't been stated. Judging from the coach's remarks, though, it's likely that the injury isn't too serious. After all, guys like Joel Embiid have had the mask in the playoffs before, and excelled.
This isn't saying that Hachimura will morph into Embiid by any means. However, the mask shouldn't be too much of a limiting factor for the former Gonzaga basketball standout.
He had 11 points, five rebounds, two steals, and one block in 34 minutes in Game 2. His all-around game is something that Los Angeles will thrive off of.
It also takes pressure off Luka Doncic and LeBron James moving forward. They have that player who can do a little bit of everything out on the floor.
At the end of the day, Hachimura's injury doesn't seem too serious. It might be a bump in the road, and a little bit uncomfortable. However, he's shown that he can make an impact on all sides of the ball.
With the Lakers traveling to Minnesota, they will need all the reinforcements they can get in front of the Target Center crowd.
