There are times when Rui Hachimura seems like a forgotten man for the Los Angeles Lakers. The 6-foot-8 forward has big scoring games from time to time, but all too often he is rendered a spectator in their offense.
On the other hand, Hachimura has plenty of one-on-one offensive skills, as well as the ability to work off the ball and run the floor in transition while finishing strong at the rim. He averaged 13.6 points in 26.9 minutes a game while shooting 53.7% from the field and 42.2% from 3-point range last season, and there are plenty of people who want him to be utilized by the Lakers more often.
Patrick Beverley, who spent half a season with the Lakers not too long ago, said on the “Pat Bev Podcast” that Hachimura should assert himself a lot more offensively and that the Japan native should be the team’s X-factor.
“He a good basketball player,” Beverley said of Hachimura. “But I don’t–he’s not the X-factor to me. Actually, you know what, he should be the X-factor because he gets paid as the X-factor should be. So yeah, [expletive] it, we gon’ put him X-factor. He needs to do more. He has to come in like, ‘I’m the second option.’ His mindset has to be, ‘Yeah, it’s AD (Anthony Davis) here, it’s LeBron [James] here, it’s Austin Reaves here, it’s DLo (D’Angelo Russell) here but nah. AD gettin it, i’m the second option.'”
Beverley also mentioned how 6-foot-9 forward Kyle Kuzma was a key complementary player for the Lakers when they won the 2020 NBA championship because he had the chutzpah to take tough shots, both in the regular season and playoffs, even when he was struggling.
Hachimura, who will make $17 million this coming season and $18.26 million in the 2025-26 campaign, has had some big scoring games in the playoffs. In the spring of 2023, he reached the 20-point mark four times in 16 playoff games after scoring 20-plus points just six times in the regular season, and he was a significant reason Los Angeles reached the Western Conference Finals.
With James entering his 22nd season and coming off a stint in the Summer Olympics, his minutes and workload will need to be trimmed and managed more than ever. Hachimura is one player who can help with that while helping the Lakers take a step forward in the Western Conference.