Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
One of the hallmarks of a great NBA player is his ability to make those around him better, and former Los Angeles Lakers champion Derek Fisher credits Rui Hachimura with learning from great players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis Benefited a lot from everyone around me.
“Rui has always shown consistent flashes of what we’re seeing now,” Fisher told reporters. sports news.
“It takes time for players to mature and grow into the best version of themselves. But what I can tell you is my experience with guys who are considered to be some of the greatest of all time — like I was with Kobe Bryant. It’s like being together, seeing the dominance of Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal), seeing the coaching talent of Phil Jackson, watching Jerry Sloan operate with his hard-nosed coaching style – when you’re around When you have really good players, that kind of coaching is definitely contagious.”
Overall, Hachimura has played for the Lakers for less than a full season. He came to the Lakers through a trade in the 2022-23 season and now starts the new season in Los Angeles for the first time.
The 25-year-old re-signed with the Lakers as a free agent this past offseason after impressing in helping the Lakers reach the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
In 12 games this season, the Gonzaga product is averaging 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while averaging just over 23 minutes per game.
“I think being around LeBron every day, seeing his greatness, seeing the greatness of Anthony Davis, feeling the pressure of ‘if we don’t win a championship, then nothing else matters’ with the Lakers, ” Fisher continued.
“As a player, I think it forces you to elevate the way you look at things.”
Hachimura and the rest of his Lakers teammates are watching James’ early-season performance up close. Turning 39 next month, in his 21st NBA season, the superstar remains one of the best players in the NBA, averaging 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.7 rebounds in 15 games. assists.
Despite clear plans to monitor his minutes more closely, James is averaging nearly 34 minutes per game. The plan will reportedly be revisited once the Lakers roster becomes healthier.
He also performed well in the new NBA in-season tournament, and one former NBA player said James was motivated to add this special title to his ledger as he shares a spot with Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time Players were compared.
At the same time, Davis is averaging 21.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game this season. But perhaps more importantly, the 30-year-old has appeared in 15 of the Lakers’ 16 games so far, helping the Lakers to a 9-7 record.
Fisher played two seasons with the Lakers for 13 seasons and won five NBA championships with great teammates such as Kobe Bryant and O’Neal. So the retired guard knows what kind of impact players like James and Davis can have, and their words about Hachimura can only be seen as encouraging.