Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura has been a staple in head coach JJ Redick’s rotation during the 2024-25 season so far.
Hachimura is one of the few forwards on the team who can play up or down a position in the lineup depending on how Redick wants to attack opposing teams and he’s been solid in that role.
Redick highlighted Hachimura as someone he and the coaching staff would lean on, and the Japan native said he’s taken their feedback on the defensive end and applied it.
“I think they’re just letting me play with my strengths,” Hachimura said after practice on Wednesday. “Those things that they’re telling me, it doesn’t hurt my career. It actually helps my career. It helps me and it helps the team, so it’s a win-win situation.
“I’m trying to focus on that, especially defensively. People always talk about [my defense], but with the team defense, with this concept, I think I can be active and I can not try to guess but be in the right position and I can use my length. I think that’s the one thing that I’ve been working on with the coaches and I think that’s getting better.”
Hachimura also acknowledged he’s aware he needs to step up defensively with players like Jarred Vanderbilt still sidelined, so he has been trying to do that.
“For sure. I think when we watch film with the coaches, it’s mostly about defense and especially with Vando out and some other guys out. I have to be the one to guard those best players on the other team. So it actually helps me. I can get the reps and I can kind of use that to other players, whoever we’re against. As a team I think we have a great help defense right now, which is kind of helping me.”
Hachimura has always been known as a score-first type of player but seemingly understands that he needs to be more of a two-way player to make a real impact on the floor.
“I think offensively, people know what I can do. Defense has been my main thing that I’ve been working on. But it comes with team defense too.
“As a team, we have to connect. We have to help each other, we have to have the mentality to guard everybody. But I think this year I’ve done that more. I want to win here so that’s the thing. You can’t just play offense. You have to play defense too. I’m trying to be a two-way player, whatever it’s called and impact the game in a different way.”
Players like Anthony Davis have emphasized defense will be key for the Lakers to win games going forward, and it sounds like Hachimura is making sure he does his part on that end of the floor.
Rui Hachimura says he wanted to focus on defense himself
Rui Hachimura spent the offseason working on his all-around game, but he revealed he had the self-awareness to shift more of his time to improving defensively.
“It comes from me, of course. But I think with what we’ve experienced so far with this team, we need defenders, for sure. So I think I need to be that guy. I have to be focused on it because I’m on the court a lot of time now. So I think it’s important, especially rebounding too.”
It’s great to hear Hachimura embrace the defensive end because he has the size, tools and physicality to be a difference-maker when engaged.
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