With the 2024-25 NBA regular season just around the corner, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick made the decision to rest LeBron James and most of the roster for the team’s final preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. However, forward Rui Hachimura was sidelined due to calf discomfort. Before the game, Redick offered an update on Hachimura’s condition.
The absence of the Lakers’ stars was felt in a 132-74 loss to the Warriors on Friday night, but Redick’s decision to rest his key players was aimed at keeping them fresh for the season opener against the Dallas Mavericks. LeBron, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and D’Angelo Russell were among those rested, but Hachimura’s situation was different.
The Japanese forward was sidelined due to calf discomfort, which has lingered since the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite the setback, Redick remains optimistic about Hachimura’s availability for the season opener.
“Redick says that he does not believe Hachimura’s calf discomfort will cause him to miss opening night,” posted ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on his X (formerly Twitter) account. While the issue has been ongoing, the Lakers are not overly concerned about Hachimura’s fitness ahead of the 2024-25 season.
JJ Redick praises Rui Hachimura
Despite dealing with calf discomfort, Hachimura’s performances in both games and training camps have earned the trust of his coach. In the short time they’ve worked together, Redick has expressed nothing but praise for the forward.
“Rui has been great. I think we were still getting acclimated when we had our first preseason game, we had only practiced three times and he was not a full participant in most of September, he was in and out of the gym and he had some family stuff. So he’s been super committed to our classroom and in the mornings and we talked about today, feels like that’s been very helpful. And everything we’ve asked him to do, he’s done, so he’s been awesome,” said Redick early this month.
Redick reflects on his first preseason with Lakers
Fans were initially surprised when the Lakers handed the reins to JJ Redick, who is in his first head coaching role after a standout NBA career as a player. However, Redick has already earned the respect of his players, who have been supportive of his approach. Speaking with The Athletic‘s Jovan Buha, Redick reflected on his development during his first preseason.
“This is all simultaneously familiar and new if that makes sense. there’s a duality to this for me right now. I’m just trying to be open-minded and self-critical at all times,” Redick said. “I cant’ really say specific thing where I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ve already grown here.’ But I think being comfortable recognizing mistakes and things you could do better. The biggest thing for me is to provide as much clarity as possible to our players. And i think our coaching staff has done that so far,” he stated.