Rui Hachimura misses practice on Monday, considered questionable vs. Jazz

The Lakers could still be without Rui Hachimura on Tuesday as the forward did not practice on Monday and is questionable heading into the Jazz game.

The Lakers' back-to-back road wins last weekend were impressive for many reasons, but perhaps none more so than the fact that they came despite battling injuries. Rui Hachimura was one of the surprise additions to the injury report, along with Jaxson Hayes, as the forward missed both the Spurs and Pelicans wins.

With the team returning home, the hope was that it would bring with it the return of Hachimura to the lineup. For now, though, that appears to remain up in the air.

On Monday, the Lakers held practice, but without Hachimura. For now, Hachimura is considered questionable heading into Tuesday’s game against the Jazz.

In the short term, the positive is that Utah is one of the worst teams in the league. They are just 3-10 on the season, though one of their wins came over the weekend against the Mavericks in bizarre fashion after a major faux pas from Luka Doncic defensively.

Utah’s only other wins on the season are against the Spurs and Bulls, two teams who aren’t in the playoffs as things stand. On paper, it should be an easier game, but nothing is particularly easy in the Western Conference this season.

All that said, the Lakers are already low on bodies and simply having more available, regardless of who they may be, is critical for them moving forward.

There could be a lineup decision to be made when Hachimura returns considering how Dalton Knecht played over the weekend, but all that is dependent on Rui being available, which the Lakers need sooner than later.

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