The Los Angeles Lakers have been banged up but the team appears to be getting a bit healthier heading into Saturday's matchup with the Chicago Bulls.
The most notable change on the injury report is forward Rui Hachimura being listed as probable. He's missed a dozen of games and has been out multiple weeks with left patellar tendinopathy.
Additionally, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt are all listed as probable after missing Thursday's 118-89 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks.
LeBron James is listed as questionable as he continues to deal with a nagging groin injury. He's missed seven consecutive games.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick is looking forward to getting a chunk of his rotation back. He highlighted Hachimura and James as key additions to help rev up their defensive effort.
"Yeah, it's tough. Both of those guys have been so good for us on that end," Redick said of James and Hachimura. "Rui kind of just being a connector, just being able to switch everything. And then LeBron, I literally said to him during the San Antonio game during a timeout, I said, 'You know what we miss?' We miss your voice on the defensive end. Our communication level has gone down significantly and talk is a contagious thing. When one guy is consistently talking, it forces everybody else to.
"So we miss both of those guys a lot. And then with LeBron obviously, he's an elite defensive rebounder and can go grab a basketball that's outside of his space as well as anyone at his position."
The Lakers are a 9.5-point favorite against the Bulls, per ESPN BET.
Related: New LeBron James Video Surfaces After 7 Straight Missed Games
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This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 1:45 PM.