Rui Hachimura out, Taurean Prince questionable vs. Magic
The Lakers will be without Rui Hachimura for a third consecutive game on Saturday while Taurean Prince is questionable to make his return.
The Lakers will once again be shorthanded on Saturday, though this time with some more warning. While Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Gabe Vincent all are ruled out for at least the coming week, Rui Hachimura will remain out while in concussion protocols.
Taurean Prince, who was a very late scratch on Wednesday, is listed as questionable with left patellar tendonitis.
Rui Hachimura will miss the Orlando game because of the concussion protocol. Taurean Prince, suffering from left patellar tendonitis, is questionable.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 3, 2023
At best, the Lakers will have one more player available on Saturday than they did on Wednesday in Prince. While that would be a notable help, it would still leave the Lakers with only nine rotation players. And with the benchmarks needed to clear while in the league’s concussion protocol, it might not be soon that Hachimura joins them on this trip.
Of note, the Lakers did bring all three of their two-way players with them on this four-game road trip, which further speaks to the amount of bodies they don’t have available right now.
The Magic were also dealt a blow since Monday’s meeting, as Wendell Carter Jr. is out with a broken bone in his hand. Earlier this week, Carter played 35 minutes and was 4-8 from the field. More than that, the Magic racked up a number of fouls attempting to match up with the Lakers size, so losing their starting center is a big blow.
Despite these two sides meeting less than seven days ago, Saturday’s meeting will have a different feel simply due to the sudden injuries to both sides.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.