Playing with Luka Doncic is almost an art in itself. Players have to be ready to catch-and-shoot, cut to the hoop, make the extra pass... Or, just as often, do nothing at all if Luka is cooking by himself. One of the best passers and best isolation scorers in the league, flanking the superstar requires players to buy into their role, which Lakers forward Rui Hachimura has done admirably.
In a new profile from Dan Woike of The Athletic, Hachimura talked about carving out his role with this version of the Lakers:
"...It’s four years here, and [the] first three years I was, I didn’t know what to do... If I didn’t touch the ball for like whole quarter, like, it’s done for me. I can’t do anything for the game, but now I’m used to it. I think it’s more so the mental. When I had that always I used to think ‘Oh f—. Like I couldn’t shoot. I didn’t touch the ball.’ But now, I’m trying to think ‘OK, what I can do to help to win this game? Rebound, box out, help defense..."
That's a man who knows how to maximize his skillset! Also, it's kind of funny to think of Rui standing in the corner, cursing over and over in his head when he didn't touch the ball.
Rui Hachimura has become an essential Laker
I think the biggest takeaway here is that teams should trade for Wizards' forwards. Hachimura has become an integral part of the Lakers' equation, and Deni Avdija has emerged as a star in Portland. I don't know who the next lucky forward will be to get plucked from the Wizards, but congrats in advance to them for their breakout.
When the Lakers traded for Hachimura years ago, he was a middling 3-point shooter and more of a hypothetical than an actual productive role player. But in his third full year with the Lakers, he's become so important to what the Lakers do. He's the team's most consistent outside shooter (42.7%) and he's far more reliable than most other bodies on the Lakers bench.
Luka Doncic gives the players around him a chance to be the best versions of themselves. But it's still on those players to produce when given the opportunity to, and Rui has done that the past few years. This team has some real needs, but Rui's consistency should be recognized.