Anthony Davis to return to the Lakers lineup tomorrow, Rui Hachimura to debut
Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura
© Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Reinforcements are on the way for the Los Angeles Lakers in the form of star big man Anthony Davis and newly acquired Rui Hachimura.
Sour to excitement
The Lakers fell to the L.A. Clippers last night 133-115 despite LeBron James’ 46 points, but the night quickly turned from sour to excitement when Head Coach Darvin Ham revealed Davis would be evaluated in the morning, and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin broke the news that the eight-time All-Star would suit up against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night barring no pregame setbacks.
In addition to his return, the purple and gold will also welcome their latest acquisition to the fold, with Rui Hachimura set to make his Lakers’ debut alongside Davis in the line-up.
Recommended Articles
The Rui factor
Hachimura was traded to the L.A. following a deal on Monday night that saw Rob Pelinka and the front office sends guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks to the Washington Wizards in exchange for the Japanese international.
Rui is averaging 13 points and 4.3 rebounds this season in 24 minutes in D.C., and the Lakers are hoping he will bolster their wing play and add another dimension to their offense with his mid-range proficiency.
The playoff push
Davis has missed five and a half weeks with a stress injury to his foot, and despite his replacement Thomas Bryant being sensational in his void; the roster has missed Davis’ dominance on both ends of the floor.
With James’ elite scoring, they’ve done a great job of keeping in touch with the playoff picture in an extremely tight Western Conference, and they’re hoping that the arrival of Hachimura and the return of Davis are enough to make a push up the standings before the All-Star break.
As it stands, the Lakers find themselves just three games back from the 5th seed, and if health permits they believe they can still make some noise after starting the season 2-10.
