Lakers' $51,000,000 star drops cryptic hint for return ahead of tough schedule

LA Lakers star Rui Hachimura dropped a cryptic message that seems to be hinting at his return from injury. Hachimura last played for the Lakers on Feb. 28 in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ever since, he’s been dealing with a left knee injury that has kept him sidelined.

Head coach JJ Redicksaid Monday that hachimura is now back to doing 3-on-3 work in practice, an important milestone on his road to recovery.

Hachimura’s cryptic message on X suggests that his return might be closer than anticipated. The 27-year-old took to X and posted a picture with the words loading written on it. He also wrote a caption that suggests he could be referring to himself:

“Black Samurai プロジェクト” Hachimura wrote on X, which translates to Black Samurai Project.

Fans believe that Hachimura is referring to himself and could be closer to a return. The Lakers forward has been key for the team this season, recording 13.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

He is also one of the team’s most efficient shooters and makes 50.6% of all his field goal attempts. He is currently on a three-year contract that will see him earn $51,000,000, as per Spotrac.

Having Hachimura back in the lineup will be a big boon for the squad since it has a tough schedule. Over the coming days, the Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets twice, Golden State Warriors and the OKC Thunder twice.

LA needs to be at full strength if it wishes to get through these games with a positive record. The team is currently fourth (42-25) in the Western Conference.

When is LeBron James returning to the Lakers lineup?

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James has been missing from the team’s lineup since picking up an injury on March 8. It was expected that James would be out for one to two weeks, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

As per Shams Charania, James will be out for at least another week and could return to the lineup for LA's game against the Orlando Magic on March 24. Fans will be hoping that LeBron returns sooner rather than later for this crucial stretch of the regular season.