The los angeles lakers seem to be starting the 2023-24 season with the injury bug, as they were shorthanded in their blowout loss to the orlando magic. The lakers were without several key players in taurean prince, rui hachimura, jarred vanderbilt, and gabe vincent, who are all suffering from various ailments.
Vanderbilt and vincent aren’t expected to return to the lineup for a few weeks, though darvin ham claims prince and hachimura are much closer. Los angeles could’ve used their forwards against orlando, who were beaten down on the court and gave up way too many second-chance points. The disparity resulted in an embarrassing loss ahead of their crucial matchup against the miami heat. Prince was not included on the team’s injury report, though. However, jaxson hayes was a welcome addition, while hachimura will be sidelined due to a concussion.
The lakers missed prince’s defensive versatility and outside shooting from the corners by bringing him back in the starting lineup. The veteran wing has been a perfect match for the other starters, so having him available against the heat will help them bounce back. The hayes story is however concerning because it is the first time the team has reported that he is suffering an ankle injury. The big man seemed to do nothing to harm it against orlando, though it was something he had already been playing through. Hachimura’s absence isn’t surprising because concussions are difficult to deal with, and the lakers’ medical staff is making sure he goes through all the steps before he is allowed to play.
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