L.A. Lakers player Rui sat almost 39 games of the 2021-22 season because of his mental health and injury. So, Is Rui Hachimura mental health good? Know about his surgery as well.
Rui Hachimura birthdate is February 8, 1998. His birthplace was Toyama, Japan. He is also a Japanese National Basketball Association (NBA) player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
He played for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Japan national team in college. His most dominant positions are small forward and power forward.
He was one of the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020. Then The Washington Wizards drafted him ninth overall in the 2019 NBA draft.
In 2016, he became the sixth Japanese-born men’s NCAA Division I player to attend Gonzaga. In 2017, he became the first Japanese national to compete in the NCAA Division I men’s tournament.
He was named first-team All-WCC as a sophomore. Likewise, he was nominated for the Naismith Player of the Year award.
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These are the talks of his sky-rocketing career. Now, let’s learn about Rui Hachimura mental health and surgery.
Rui Hachimura Mental Health
Rui last played organized basketball before the start of the current season during the August Olympics in Japan.
When his team was eliminated, he declined to play and allegedly informed the Wizards’ coaching staff that he would take time off.
On January 9, Hachimura appeared in his debut NBA game against the Orlando Magic. He later missed other games as a result of conjunctivitis.
Wes Unseld Jr., the Wizards’ coach, strongly backed Rui Hachimura’s choice to focus on his mental health. He wanted the Japanese to return as smoothly and conveniently as possible.
Source: Instagram
Unseld Jr. devised plays that were simpler for Hachimura to adapt to than what he had previously used to with the squad. He didn’t want the versatile forward to relapse.
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Rui before the February trade deadline. In return for him, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka gave guard Kendrick Nunn and three future second-round selections to Washington.
Despite the presence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers were 22-25 at the time of the deal. They finished 12th in the Western Conference and didn’t play for the second year.
In Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, Hachimura had the finest postseason performance of his career. He scored 29 points on 11-14 ******** from the field, including 5-6 from beyond the arc.
Rui Hachimura Surgery Update
On December 1st, Hachimura set a career-best with 30 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a 125-150 defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers.
He was just starting his professional career when this unexpected turn of events occurred.
Hachimura could not play in the final few games owing to a “groin injury.” An injury where he got kicked in the testicles was just brought to my attention by a Reddit member.
They concluded that Hachimura had been severely kicked in the balls and needed surgery.
Source: Playmaker HQ
Hachimura was smacked in the remote regions by his teammate, Issac Bonga, two weeks ago in a game against the Detroit Pistons.
Hachimura quit the game after that hit and hasn’t played since. The Wizards subsequently stated that he would have surgery on his “groin” and miss a few games.
Meanwhile, Hachimura has missed seven games but appears close to returning. The Washington Wizards are coming off a much-needed 123-105 victory over the Miami Heat, who are now third in the Eastern Conference.
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