"He went through his pregame workout and still a little iffy," Ham said. "Obviously, our players' health is a top priority for us. And the doctors did clear him, but still getting hit on the bridge of your nose and having to wear a mask again, he wasn't with us for a week. He was limited on what he could do on the court and what not. So just coming off that nose surgery. So we felt it was best just to be proactive and be precautionary and so that's where we landed."
In essence, it sounds like the Lakers were using Hachimura as a "break in case of emergency" option, if even that. They wisely are prioritizing Tuesday's In-Season Tournament game against the Suns and the prestige that comes with winning the NBA Cup.
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