Rui Hachimura is making it clear – through his words off of the court and his actions on the court – that he’s willing to do what’s needed to help the Lakers win.
And that’s a welcomed sight for a Lakers coaching staff, led by JJ Redick, that’s on the precipice of making an important decision when it comes to Hachimura.
With star guard Austin Reaves set to make his return to the court as soon as this week after missing the last month because of left calf strain, the Lakers will have to make a decision about their starting lineup.
Even if it’s not in his first game back, which could be as soon as Wednesday night against the Cavaliers in Cleveland, Reaves will rejoin the first unit permanently. Reaves will likely replace either Marcus Smart or Jake LaRavia, who’ve started alongside Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Deandre Ayton when available since late December after Hachimura started to miss time with a right calf strain.
But will Hachimura also rejoin the first unit after starting the first 30 games he played in before missing time with the calf injury? He’s been a full-time starter for the Lakers since February 2024.
Or will he continue to be used as a reserve, like he has in the seven games he’s played since returning from injury?
“We’ll assess things as they go,” Redick responded when asked about the plans for the starting lineup. “The reality is that until Austin’s back, we’re going to go with (the Doncic-Smart-LaRavia-James-Ayton starting) lineup, and then we’ll figure out the best path forward.”
The reality, for the Lakers, is that their best path forward is for Hachimura to embrace a role as a reserve if and when the team is fully healthy.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: as All-NBA-/All-Star-caliber players, Doncic, Reaves and James are starting when they’re available. And even with Ayton’s struggles as of late, the Lakers need to start a traditionally-sized center.
That leaves one starting spot left.
Even though Hachimura brings important skills and attributes to the floor — spacing (42% on 3s over the last three seasons), cutting and knowing how to play without the ball, which is especially important next to star players — the Lakers need a more defensive-oriented fifth starter.
Smart and LaRavia would be good candidates for the spot.
It’s not just that the Lakers’ initial first unit of Doncic, Reaves, Hachimura, James and Ayton struggled to start the season (a minus-19.9 net rating in a small sample of 85 minutes). But lineups with James and Hachimura on the floor together have struggled, especially defensively.
There’s been a sentiment surrounding the Lakers that having Hachimura come off the bench could potentially risk losing his buy-in.
And those feelings weren’t without merit.
Outside of just raw statistical production, Hachimura was significantly more effective and efficient the previous two seasons as a starter compared to as a reserve. And the Lakers performed better while he was on the floor when he started vs. came off the bench.
But Hachimura made it clear to The Athletic that he’s open to a bench role, with his main focus on winning ahead of his pending unrestricted free agency as the three-year, $51 million contract he signed with the Lakers in July 2023 expires after this season.
And his actions have backed up those words so far.
There was the viral clip of him having one of his better individual defensive sequences during the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ comeback attempt that fell short against the Clippers on Thursday.
Hachimura had a season-high eight rebounds in Saturday’s road win over the Mavericks, and also knocked down a pair of clutch 3s to help get the Lakers over the hump.
And he didn’t start in either game, showing that he’s willing to be engaged regardless of whether he’s a starter or reserve.
Hachimura, and the Lakers, have emphasized being about winning. It’s time for both sides to fully embrace the change that could lead to more success.
“At the end of the day…I’m trying to help this team win,” Hachimura said earlier in the season. “That’s the whole purpose of being here. I’ve been here for four seasons now. I think I’m one of the guys that has been here the longest too, so I’m happy to be here playing with these guys, the coaches and everybody. I love these guys. Of course the contract and stuff is coming up. But at the end of the day I’m just trying to focus on every day, just in the moment.”
Comments are closed.