Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura will miss approximately three weeks of the upcoming regular season with bi-lateral epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). EKC is a severe case of pink eye which is causing Hachimura to experience blurred vision and light sensitivity.
“I was hoping last week, thinking that it would clear up in two or three days, he could be back on the court, couple more days later he’d be back. But he has a severe case,” Brooks said. “It’s a long season. I know sometimes when you’re in the grind it doesn’t seem every game is so important and so critical, but he’s a young player, and he needed those reps and practice and training camp, those exhibition games. We’re going to have to figure it out without him until he comes back. He’s not happy but he understands.”
Hachimura was diagnosed with EKC on December 16th and missed the Wizards’ final two preseason games. He finished his rookie season averaging 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. In the first preseason game versus the Brooklyn Nets, Hachimura had a solid performance finishing with 18 points and 4 rebounds in 23 minutes.
“Unfortunately with Rui’s situation, I think we’ll be able to manage the best we can. We have a very competitive team. We’ve got some really good players that are ready now.”
The Wizards do have several options that could step in for Hachimura such as newcomer Anthony Gill who started for the first time in Saturday’s preseason game against the Detroit Pistons. Additional options include rookie Deni Avdija and possibly Davis Bertans. More than likely it will take some adjustments over the first few games to determine the right fit.