Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has revealed that forward Rui Hachimura is the only teammate following him this summer.
James revealed that Hachimura went on “a few trips” with him on the road during the offseason.
It’s great to see Hachimura and James spending some time together during the offseason, and hopefully the two will grow closer as teammates and friends as a result.
Hachimura came to the Lakers in a trade with the Washington Wizards before the trade deadline last season.
The former ninth overall pick played in 33 games for the Lakers during the regular season, including nine starts. Throughout the 2022-23 season, Hachimura averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game, shooting 48.6% from the field and 31.9% from beyond the three-point line.
The Lakers liked Hachimura’s performance so much that they decided to bring him back in the offseason. Hachimura was a restricted free agent, but he eventually signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Lakers.
It’s one of many moves Los Angeles is making to keep the core of a team that made last season’s Western Conference Finals intact. The team also re-signed guards Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell as free agents.
In the playoffs last season, Hachimura scored more than 20 points in four games for the Lakers. His best performance came in Game 1 of the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies.
In that game, Hachimura performed well from beyond the three-point line, making 5 of 3 of 6 shots and scoring 29 points.
While he may not be playing in these types of games every night, he can provide a scoring boost for the Lakers every now and then, which would undoubtedly be huge for the Lakers.
James and Hachimura may have improved on-court chemistry heading into the 2023-24 season after spending time together this summer.
James hopes to lead the Lakers back to the NBA Finals as he has already won a championship with the team.
Los Angeles should have a good chance to do that this season as the team adds players like Christian Wood, Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince to an already impressive roster.
It will be interesting to see what Hachimura does in 2023-24 after spending an offseason with one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen.