Life without LeBron James hasn't been easy for the Los Angeles Lakers. With their 40-year-old superstar sidelined with a groin injury, the Lakers fell 126-106 to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Thursday night, falling to 0-2 amid James' absence.
The four-time NBA MVP suffered his injury during Saturday's loss to the Boston Celtics and is now expected to miss about a week or two of action. Without a chance of playing during the rest of the team's road trip, the Lakers sent James back to Los Angeles on Wednesday to continue his recovery.
As it turns out, 'King James' isn't the only Laker who was sent home this week.
Lakers Send Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes Home After LeBron James Returns to L.A.
Right before the showdown with the Bucks, Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed that Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes had also returned to Los Angeles. According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the injured duo — along with James — are considered "day-to-day" and will miss Friday's meeting with the Denver Nuggets.
JJ Redick says that Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura have also left the trip to return to L.A., along with LeBron James, as ESPN reported yesterday. With them leaving the trip, obviously Denver is out for them. All three players are considered day-to-day, according to Redick.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 13, 2025
Hachimura and Hayes have both missed time recently, so their being sent to Los Angeles isn't totally surprising. It also didn't make much sense to force them to travel to Denver — the last game of the road trip — if they don't have a shot at suiting up.
Hachimura, 27, hasn't played since Feb. 27 due to a knee injury. The former Gonzaga Bulldog has operated well as the Lakers' fourth option this season, averaging 13.3 points on .506/.410/.765 splits while also putting up 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 50 appearances.
Hayes, meanwhile, has been out of the lineup with a knee injury of his own for about a week. The 24-year-old big man's role has expanded ever since Anthony Davis was swapped for Luka Doncic. Although he hasn't been perfect, Hayes has managed to average 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 78.7% from the floor in 13 starts since the trade deadline.
Unfortunately, the Lakers have another potentially injured player they must worry about, too.
Lakers Rumors: Luka Doncic May Not Face Nuggets on Friday
Following the loss to the Bucks, Doncic was asked by a reporter if he plans to face the Denver Nuggets in Friday's road trip finale. Judging by the recent acquisition's answer, it looks like the Lakers could be without both of their superstars in the Mile High City.
"We'll see. We'll see on that one," Doncic said regarding his Friday availability, according to McMenamin.
Luka Doncic on whether he will play Friday in Denver: “We’ll see. We’ll see on that one”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 14, 2025
There isn't any new injury news on Doncic, so it's possible that a potential absence could stem from the Lakers wanting to rest him. It was also only this year that the Slovenian star was dealing with a calf injury, and the last thing L.A. needs is for him to reaggravate the issue this close to the NBA postseason.
Since arriving in L.A., Doncic's performances have been up and down. On one hand, his averaging 26.1 points while shooting 41.2% from the floor and 34.4% from deep isn't the type of efficiency fans expected upon his arrival.
On the other hand, 45-point performances like the one he had Thursday night are exactly why fans didn't mind shipping Davis off to the Lone Star State.
Hopefully, the Lakers coaching staff does right by its players, doing whatever it takes to ensure a clean bid of health for the playoffs. If that means keeping key players out of the lineup or sending them home to improve the recovery time, a few regular-season losses here and there are worth it.
After all, Redick needs his lineup to be as healthy as possible to go on a potential title run. In the meantime, the Lakers will head into Friday's showdown with the Nuggets, holding the fifth-best 2025 NBA Finals odds (+1700) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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