Rui Hachimura has grown as a player by leaps and bounds since joining the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2023. And without a doubt the area in which he has developed most is as a 3-point shooter.
Hachimura has shot at least 41% from deep in each of the last three seasons, including setting a franchise record at 44.3% this past year. And the forward recently discussed how far he has come, even admitting that he didn’t really like to shoot 3-pointers at first, but has completely embraced that facet of his game now.
“I think when I came here, when I was with the Wizards, I didn’t know my role,” Hachimura said after the Lakers’ season came to an end. “We had a lot of different teammates, coaches, I just didn’t know what kind of player I was. Since I got here, it started with, shoutout to [Phil Handy], he was the one that talked me through a lot of stuff, what I can do to stay in this league. Not only this team, but stay in this league and how I can make an impact on this team especially.
“The first thing he talked about was 3-pointers and I think that was the biggest thing for me because honestly, I don’t really like shooting 3s. That’s not my thing, for me. For me, I don’t really like it. But with the team changing and how JJ coaches, he wanted me to shoot a lot of 3s. It was a different game for me, but I had to do it. That was the biggest thing I think changed.”
Hachimura has previously mentioned the impact that former assistant coach Phil Handy has had on him as a player, so it is no surprise that he was again brought up here. All of the work that Hachimura has put in has been paying off and that was on full display this postseason.
The forward averaged 17.5 points in the playoffs, up from 11.5 during the regular season. Additionally, he shot an unreal 56.9% from 3-point range during the Lakers’ postseason run and has shot at least 50% from deep in a record 13 consecutive playoff games. Hachimura may not have known his role when he joined the Lakers, but now that he has figured it out, he has become one of the best in the league at doing it.
Rui Hachimura hasn’t thought about free agency yet
His playoff run certainly came at the right time as Hachimura is set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer and will almost surely command more money on his new contract. But following the Lakers’ season coming to an end, Hachimura said he hadn’t even thought about free agency at that point.
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