How Rui Hachimura has become a key player for the Lakers

Rui Hachimura has been a bedrock of consistency for the Lakers, becoming a bonafide starter for coach JJ Redick.

Entering the season, many wondered what Rui Hachimura’s role under JJ Redick would be and how much more the young forward could grow.

With over a quarter of the season completed, we are getting some early answers to that question.

Hachimura has played in 21 games for the Lakers, starting in each one. His production hasn’t exploded to a new stratosphere, but marginal gains have accumulated into a big impact.

On this roster, Hachimura has been the most consistent player not named LeBron James or Anthony Davis. He’s averaging 12.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, the latter of which is a career-high, while shooting 44% from 3-point range.

It’s the little ways Hachimura’s improved that have truly stood out.

He fights for position in the paint when going after rebounds and wins those battles more often than not. Rui can switch onto bigger fours and fives and hold his own.

Hachimura has also stayed aggressive, attacking the paint and putting pressure on the rim. He has the third most dunks on the team so far with 22, just one behind LeBron’s 23.

Given that Hachimura has “just” been consistent and not an All-Star, it has fans putting him in the trade machine and seeing if it brings back a nice return.

The question is, can the Lakers actually use Hachimura as trade bait to bring a bigger fish to Southern California?

In the words of the great Darius Soriano, yes and no. On the one hand, Rui is a player who will certainly be desirable to many teams. With a base salary of $17 million, you can find a trade that sends Hachimura away and brings in a quality player.

While Hachimura isn’t necessarily an untradeable player, given his importance to this team, it’s tough to imagine him being moved. Reports indicate that the Lakers viewing him as a long-term piece and that doesn’t sound like the kind of player you shop around for any mid-season trade.

Making these decisions on player trades is ultimately the responsibility vice president of basketball operations, Rob Pelinka. However, if Redick’s word is worth anything, he seems to have a high level of trust in Hachimura.

Prior to the team’s game most recent game against the Wolves, Redick spoke about Hachimura (h/t Dan Woike/LA Times).

“He’s responded to every challenge we’ve given him. He’s been our most consistent player just in terms of what we’ve asked him to do and then going out and executing it. He’s been a pleasure to coach.

“He’s been a pleasure to be around every day. And we really missed him when he was out. It’s interesting, defensively, even when you watch tape, even the stuff off the ball he does the right thing more often than not. He’s, to me, he’s just like more consistent in terms of what we’re asking a guy to do, in terms of his role, his responsibilities, our system, our schemes. Does it without a complaint, like he’s awesome to coach.”

Hearing Rui being complimented for his offensive game is normal, but Redick giving him flowers for his defensive ability is much less normal. It may sound ridiculous to think of Hachimura as a good defender given that he still gets beat on the perimeter players more than one would like.

However, he has made progress and is, more often than not, in position for defensive success on the floor. Rui consistently makes an appropriate effort and wants to be better at defending.

Given how much L.A. has struggled defensively, that’s a welcomed improvement. After Lakers practice on Wednesday, Hachimura discussed embracing his inner defender.

“With the team defense, with this concept, I think I can be more active and I can try not to guess but be in the right position and I can use my length,” Hachimura said. “I think that’s the one thing that I’ve been working on with the coaches and I think that’s getting better.”

Progress in Rui’s defense is marvelous, but offense is where his bread will always be buttered. Despite his scoring remaining static, he has shown signs of improvement. His effective field goal percentage has increased monthly and is currently at 65% in December. That’s better than any month he had last season aside from March when he was at 67%.

If Hachimura continues to be a sponge absorbing the knowledge Redick is pouring into him, he’ll likely crush those numbers later in the season.

The reason for the growth in Hachimura’s efficiency is a direct result of him taking better shots in Redick’s system. Although he’s a good mid-range shooter, he’s taken fewer of those shots and is either finishing strong near the rim or taking a 3-pointer.

His percentage on shots near the rim has dipped as he’s converting on 69% of his attempts compared to last year’s 78%. However, with his 3-point numbers just decimal points shy of his career best, Rui has improved his efficiency month-to-month.

If he continues to follow Redick’s game plan, the math indicates he’ll have to be one of the most efficient scorers on the roster.

Rui is a player who positively impacts winning and was a big reason the Lakers made a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2023. Can he help take things to the next level and bring an 18th championship to Los Angeles?

That remains to be seen, but Redick and Hachimura work on this daily. While the journey is long, their efforts have already borne fruit.

This season, he’s improved as a defender, is a better rebounder, is shooting well from deep, and has transitioned from role player to starter and has shined in that role. Redick can trust Hachimura to reach a base level of good that he is searching for and, on a team where consistency is lacking, that’s a valuable asset.

Bigger statistical gains are hopefully in store for Rui, but for now, he’s doing everything the Lakers ask of him. He’s a star in his role and given that he’s in his sixth year, he’s far from a finished product.

If the Lakers play their cards right, they can capitalize on his prime and win big.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.