Lakers' JJ Redick Offers Latest Comments on Rui Hachimura Injury

The Lakers' head coach talked about Hachimura's performance and his injury.

Apr 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) shoots the ball over Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the third quarter of game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers were able to beat the Timberwolves in Game 2 to salvage a 1-1 split in LA. While their offense still wasn't the best, they turned up their defense in order to get the victory.

In that game, Rui Hachimura made a play that required him to come back out with a facemask after banging his face on the floor. He didn't like the mask and kept playing without it.

Hachimura's effort was indicative of what JJ Redick wanted to see from his team on Tuesday night. He wanted them to play harder, and that's what they did.

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Redick was asked about Hachimura's play and his injury following the game. Redick praised his effort and his commitment to winning.

"He played like a warrior tonight," Redick said of Hachimura. "I'm sure that he is probably in the X-ray room right now. There were a few plays that he made just getting deflections and disrupting plays. ... He was awesome."

Those are the kind of winning plays that the Lakers need more of in this series. They weren't able to keep home-court advantage, but they were able to keep themselves from losing both games at home.

The Lakers will need more effort plays from everyone as the series shifts to Minnesota. In order to win some games in Minnesota, they need everyone to make the kinds of plays that Hachimura was making in Game 2.

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Hachimura was able to come back into the game, so Lakers fans shouldn't worry about his long-term availability. He should be good to go for most of the rest of this series.

The Lakers have been going small during most of the first two games. That means that Hachimura and LeBron James have been playing a lot of center. They need Hachimura to be out there in order to maximize what they can do.

In the first two games of the series, Hachimura is averaging ten points, five rebounds, and one assist per game. He is shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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