The Lakers are on a roll. After a shaky start, it looks like the team has finally found its groove, winning their last 5 games! Well, they aim to extend that winning streak tonight as they face the Utah Jazz. Moreover, it’s a group-stage encounter for the NBA Cup, making this a higher-stakes matchup than usual. However, things are not looking in their favor because the LA side will have to play without Rui Hachimura once again. And JJ Redick revealed the expected timeline for his return.

Yes, Rui Hachimura will miss his third straight game tonight.

The reason? A right ankle sprain. And JJ Redick revealed that he expects the forward to make a return sometime later this week. Well, there are two more teams the Lakers are scheduled to face this week, the Magic on Thursday and the Nuggets on Saturday.

Sure enough, fans will be hoping to see Rui Hachimura back for at least one of those games, as per JJ’s update. However, Rui being unavailable tonight is a massive blow, as the hoopster has been a key part of their offense, averaging 12.7 points as a starter.

Moreover, he is shooting an unbelievable career-high 50% from the three-point line which has helped JJ Redick spread the offense and give Anthony Davis and LeBron James more room to operate.

Surprisingly, the Lakers have fared well in Rui’s absence so far, as they won their last two games with ease. That’s because JJ Redick has bumped Dalton Knecht to the starting lineup as the Gonzaga alum’s replacement. And the rookie has stepped up to the occasion.

Dalton Knecht impresses in Rui Hachimura’s absence but LeBron James is NOT surprised

As the Lakers await Rui’s return, Knecht has seen a significant increase in minutes in the last two games. Of course, it does not come as a surprise because JJ seemed to have a lot of faith in the rookie from the very beginning. Moreover, the head coach even deemed him a ‘Top 1% shooter’ earlier this year. Sure enough, Bronny’s co-draftee has lived up to the expectations so far as he averaged 20.5 points as a starter in the last two games.

Even during the Pelicans game, he stole the show by going off for 27 points, on five of ten shooting from deep. Sure, some of you might be surprised to see the rookie do so well so early in his career. But not LeBron James.

“He’s been a pro for a while. I talked about it last year, so it’s no surprise to me… No surprise to me,” the 22-season NBA legend remarked about Dalton Knecht’s recent stretch. The youngster’s shooting 40.4% from deep so far and has shown his clutch gene on multiple occasions. And that’s why JJ Redick continues to trust him in Rui Hachimura’s absence.

Obviously, once Hachimura returns, Dalton is likely to come off the bench again. But this stretch of a few games will help boost his confidence and hopefully, the 23-year-old will add to his impressive run tonight.