Among the numerous injuries the Los Angeles Lakers have been dealing with, one of the most recent befell forward Rui Hachimura. The important reserve suffered a broken nose, but only missed a couple of games before returning to the team.
In order to protect that nose as it heals, Hachimura has been forced to wear a face mask while he plays and, as is the case for many players, it is a bit uncomfortable. While former Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton wore it throughout his career, most players are not used to it at all and Hachimura is not a fan of the mask.
Following the Lakers’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, Hachimura spoke about playing with the mask. The forward called it annoying but knows it is necessary especially after taking a couple of shots during the game, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“It’s been annoying. But it is what it is, I have to play with it. I got hit a couple times tonight and if I wasn’t wearing it, my nose would’ve been broken again.”
Basketball is a physical sport and Hachimura could have found himself back on sidelines had he not been wearing the mask. Of course that doesn’t make it any less annoying especially since it causes him to sweat more than usual:
“I sweat a lot more so it’s a hard adjustment for me but I got to figure it out.”
It is an adjustment, but one Hachimura must get together during this recovery period. In due time he will be able to get rid of it, but the Lakers still need him to contribute so figuring out how to play and be effective with the mask is a necessity.
Hachimura is extremely talented and the Lakers are relying on him to be one of the major contributors off the bench. He showed during the playoffs last season what he is capable of and with or without the mask, the Lakers need that player to show up during the season.
Lakers’ Rui Hachimura excited about Shohei Ohtani joining Dodgers
Hachimura, of course, was born and raised in Japan, and now the biggest Japanese superstar in sports, baseball star Shohei Ohtani, has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Lakers forward, who actually played baseball growing up, admitted to being excited about Ohtani coming to L.A’s premier baseball franchise and hopes to be able to connect with his fellow countryman during their time here together.
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