LA Lakers Injury Report (Dec. 25): Latest update on Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt's availability
Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt have been signed to extensions by the LA Lakers during the off-season due to their performances in the 2022-23 season. The team forecasts both players to be an integral part of the Lakers rotation and help preserve the legs of LeBron James further into his longevity.
The Lakers are set to play the Boston Celtics on a marquee matchup on Christmas Day with the tip-off happening inside the Crypto.com Arena by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. ABC and ESPN have the television broadcast rights and both can be seen via live streaming through an NBA League Pass subscription.
The Lakers' recent injury report shows that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are marked as 'questionable' to play along with Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent. All four players have a huge possibility to play and should be game-time decisions.
Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura are listed as 'probable' to play as the Lakers take more precautions on both players if they field them against the Celtics. They should be game-time decisions as well by the Lakers medical staff.
The LA Lakers are coming in this matchup as the ninth-best team in the NBA Western Conference with a record of 16-14. They are coming off a victory against the OKC Thunder that snapped their four-game losing streak.
What happened to Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt?
Starting the season, Jarred Vanderbilt has been sidelined with a heel injury that made him miss 20 games. After his recovery, Vanderbilt's back has been his recent problem but he was able to play through the pain.
Meanwhile, Rui Hachimura had missed nine of the Lakers' 30 games so far but he has played eight straight games. His various injuries regarding his ankle, nose and wrist have been monitored by the Lakers medical staff as they try to keep him healthy in time to contribute huge in the playoffs.
Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt stats vs Celtics
In the most recent matchup by the Lakers and Celtics back on January 28, 2023, only Rui Hachimura played during the overtime loss. At that time, Jarred Vanderbilt was still playing for the Utah Jazz and made it to the Lakers roster during the trade deadline.
Hachimura came off the bench and logged in for 23 minutes. The Japanese basketball player chipped in with six points, four rebounds and one assist while doing 3-of-8 from the field.
So far this 2023-24 season, Hachimura has been averaging 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists while Vanderbilt has done 1.0 points and 4.0 rebounds.