Hachimura was the first player acquired by Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka before the February trade deadline. Pelinka sent Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks to the Washington Wizards to acquire the Japanese forward. In 33 games for the Lakers, 9 of which were starts, Hachimura averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Hachimura often cited LeBron James as one of his biggest motivations since moving to Hollywood.
Going into training camp, Pelinka noted the close working relationship between James and Hachimura. I noticed how the Japanese spent more time training with the four-time MVP and how the former Wizard benefited from the veteran presence.
‘King James’ tweeted a classic scene from the movie in response to Rob Pelinka’s post karate kid. The video shows “Mr. Miyagi”, played by Pat Morita, teaching a young American karate enthusiast “Daniel” (Ralph Macchio) the finer points of karate training.
References to iconic movies are reversed in real life. LeBron James is American and Hachimura is Japanese. Still, the essence of both cases remains the same. This is an ancient story about a young stag learning from its gray-haired master.
“King James” will enter the 21st season of his career in October. Hachimura will be playing in his fifth season and first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Rob Pelinka signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the team this offseason.
The ninth pick in the 2019 draft showed his value to the Lakers, especially in the playoffs. He became a key figure on coach Davon Hamm’s bench. In 16 playoff games, he averaged 12.2 points per game and shot 48.7% from three-point range.
Los Angeles has posted back-to-back playoff wins over higher-ranked opponents. Their wins over the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies and sixth-place Golden State Warriors were largely due to LeBron James. Rui Hachimura is an important part of the supporting cast.
Rui Hachimura is a versatile weapon LeBron James can count on
Part of the reason Hachimura was so important to the Los Angeles Lakers last season was because of his versatility. When Davon Ham wants to play small ball, he sometimes plays the power forward role. Hachimura plays alongside Anthony Davis on the front line.
In the playoffs, Hachimura took some of the defensive pressure off LeBron James. The Japanese also helps guard Jaren Jackson Jr., Klay Thompson and Nikola Jokic.
On the offensive side, Hachimura’s strong performance in the backcourt helped open up the opponent’s defense. When he’s on the court, James and Davis have more room to operate in the paint. Hachimura is also a deadly weapon in the fast break.
After a full training camp and preseason, LeBron James will be able to utilize Hachimura’s versatility more on both ends of the court.
editor
Michael Macacello