Lakers update injury status: James Hachimura's status upgrade is expected to return to the strongest Purple and Gold Army to make the playoffs

On March 22, Beijing time, the Lakers officially announced the latest injury situation, James and Hachimura were upgraded and are expected to return, however, Vincent's status was relegated to doubtful play. However, the Lakers are still expected to play the Bulls with the strongest lineup.

The specific injuries are as follows-

Doncic (right ankle sprain), Finney-Smith (left ankle injury management), Reaves (right ankle injury management), Vanderbilt (right groin strain) are all likely to play;

James (left groin strain), Hachimura (left patellar tendonitis), Vincent (left knee injury management) are all doubtful;

Kleber (right foot surgery rehabilitation) is the only Lakers player confirmed to miss the Bulls.

Yesterday, according to Mark Medina of The Athletic, James completed another pre-game workout that included some sprint runs and finishing under the basket. In Redick's previous interview, he expressed hope that James and Hachimura could return for Sunday's game against the Bulls.

James left the game on March 9 with a groin strain against the Celtics and has been sidelined since. At first, he planned to complete the road trip with the team, but eventually returned to Los Angeles early to continue his recovery process. Medical experts say James will be limited in playing time when he first returns, and then gradually increase until he returns to normal playing time. In the initial stages, depending on how well he adapts to the playing time of the game, he may not be scheduled to play back-to-back matches.

In 2022, he suffered a similar injury, missing about two weeks at the time, and this time it looks like he will have about the same recovery time. The good news is that the injury didn't bother him again for the rest of the season, which bodes well for his recovery and prospects this time around.