When JJ Redick was hired by the Los Angeles Lakers, Rui Hachimura was a player who needed to be unlocked more in his system, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.
When L.A. acquired Hachimura from the Washington Wizards, he became an intriguing scoring option next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But this season presented a challenge as the Lakers lacked the necessary frontcourt defensive talent.
No one could deny Hachimura’s talent though, particularly in adapting his game to shoot more 3-pointers with Redick at the helm. Hachimura arguably made the biggest sacrifice this past season and in return, he appreciated the trust from the coaching staff.
“From the start, they trusted me on offense, defense, everything,” he said during his exit interview. “They kept telling me to shoot more 3s, be aggressive on defense, be aggressive on rebounds, basically everything. I think that stuff helps me as a basketball player of course and I think I was able to help the team get to this point. So I’m thankful for them.”
Adapting to a new coach’s style and schematics is daunting for every player and presents skepticism, but Hachimura was fully bought in. As a 6’8″ forward, he was often tasked with playing up and defending bigger centers, which admittedly came with some challenges.
But it was still a season of growth for Hachimura, who shot a career-high in 3-point attempts at a 41.3% rate to go along with averaging 5.0 rebounds. That rebounding number does not sound like a lot, but it was the highest average since arriving in L.A.
Redick never needed the forward to become an All-NBA defender, but he needed him to embrace the challenge defensively. Notably, when Luka Doncic arrived, there was no Davis to erase mistakes and Hachimura played well in those revised schemes.
JJ Redick: Rui Hachimura had ‘outstanding’ season for Lakers
The Lakers had a roller coaster season with three different iterations and for a player like Rui Hachimura to adjust and adapt to new personnel must have been challenging. JJ Redick also needed to put these pieces together on the fly, which was a challenge in its own right.
Following a disappointing first-round exit, everyone got a chance to reflect on an abnormal season. A bright spot that stood out to Redick was Hachimura, as he became a vital role player to what the team was building with Doncic.
In totality, Hachimura experienced his role changing plenty of times this season, but Redick believed that he had an ‘outstanding’ year for L.A.
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