Rui

Hachimura

Dončić suffered a strained left hamstring during Thursday’s win over the 76ers, exiting during the second quarter. Rui Hachimura started the third quarter, but Austin Reaves’ minutes restriction may have been the reason for that. Depending on how comfortable the Lakers are with Reaves playing starters’ minutes as he works his way back from a strained calf, it will influence who starts for Dončić.

Dončić suffered the left hamstring injury in Thursday’s win over the 76ers, and McMenamin notes that there is optimism the injury is not serious. Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief for now, but the extent of Dončić’s injury is still unknown. Until we get more clarity on the situation, the Lakers will fill his vacated minutes by committee with Jake LaRavia, Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard logging some additional minutes.

Dončić left Thursday’s game during the second quarter, appearing to grab his left hamstring before exiting. The Lakers have officially listed the injury as left leg soreness, but more will be learned about its severity on Friday. Rui Hachimura started the third quarter, and whether he remains there if Dončić misses time will likely depend on how much longer Austin Reaves will be under a minutes restriction.

Hachimura recorded one of his best games of January, scoring over 20 points for the first time since early November. The points came from efficient jump shooting and strong contributions from the three-point line. And although Hachimura didn’t make much noise in any other areas of the game, his scoring output on Monday should serve as another encouraging sign that the seventh-year forward has found his rhythm on offense again, having now totaled 40 points over the past two games. His production will be useful for the Lakers going forward, as they look to extend their winning streak to three games on Wednesday against the Cavaliers.

LaRavia will shed his questionable tag and play through his left quad contusion. He should remain in the starting lineup, with Rui Hachimura supporting him off the bench and picking up additional minutes if LaRavia is limited.

LaRavia, who’s been a fixture in the starting lineup since the end of December, is dealing with a left quad contusion. If he’s unable to play against the Bulls, that opens the door for Rui Hachimura to start for the first time since going down with a strained calf last month.

Since making his return from a strained calf on January 13, Hachimura’s playing time has increased steadily. Thursday’s game was the second straight in which he logged 28 minutes, and the Lakers’ forward was solid. The question now is whether Hachimura is locked into the reserve role or will he reclaim his place in the starting lineup. Jake LaRavia (7/5/1/3/4 with two three-pointers) was highly productive as a defender on Thursday, but he only played 22 minutes as the starter. That’s something to be mindful of as the Lakers move forward.

Hachimura was absent from the Lakers’ injury report for Monday’s game, and he was in uniform. However, he saw no action. Jake LaRavia remained in the starting lineup, playing 31 minutes and finishing with two points (1-of-7 FGs), two rebounds, three assists and one steal. During his postgame press conference, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said that Hachimura did not play since he wasn’t available for both games of the back-to-back. He’ll play on Tuesday against the Hawks, albeit on a severe minutes restriction.

Hachimura is available after missing the last six games with a calf injury. Jake LaRavia may remain in the starting lineup for another game if the former is under a minutes restriction in his first game back. Managers in deep leagues should hold onto LaRavia until the dust settles on the Lakers’ rotation.

With Rui Hachimura (calf) once again unavailable, LaRavia was in the Lakers’ starting lineup for the sixth consecutive game. While the final stat line on Friday was modest, the forward was a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line. Since moving into the starting five, LaRavia has been close to a top-50 player in eight-cat formats. As long as Hachimura is unavailable, LaRavia is worth the streaming risk.