The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to Jonathan Kuminga throughout the 2026 period of free agency. The process of completing a sign-and-trade has proven challenging, but the Lakers' interest has remained consistent in not only acquiring Kuminga, but making him an instant starter.
If the Lakers are going to position Kuminga to live up to his potential, however, then they'll need to learn from how Rui Hachimura claims they limited his contributions.
Hachimura played the better part of four seasons with the Lakers, helping them overcome injuries and drastic roster changes. He emerged as one of the NBA's most efficient shooters during that time, but he doesn't seem to believe that he was given the tools to play his preferred style.
During a recent interview with Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints, Hachimura spoke about how he wasn't able to crash the boards and push the pace or make cuts to the basket in the way he preferred to due to the Lakers' roster structure.
“I've spoken with the Clippers coaching staff, and they want me to shoot my three-pointers, of course, but also do more cutting,” Hachimura added in agreement. “In my final year with the Lakers, I couldn't really make those cuts due to our team's [structure], so the [Clippers] told me they want me to do more of that, which makes me really happy. I also want to focus on rebounding. Grabbing the boards and pushing the pace like I used to back in the day is something I want to keep doing."
Hachimura still made it work as a highly efficient three-point shooter, but if the Lakers want Kuminga and his inefficient jumper to fit, they'll need to change their approach to how complementary players are utilized.
Lakers need to let Kuminga play his game, learn from Rui experience
While Hachimura was able to adapt to a more limited role by focusing on his three-point shooting, Kuminga lacks that specific skill set or skill level. Hachimura arrived in Los Angeles having been a fairly erratic shooter, but he peaked at 44.7 percent from beyond the arc in his final full season before joining the Lakers.
Kuminga, meanwhile, is a career 33.2 percent three-point shooter who last shot above 33.6 percent in 2022-23, when he sank 37.0 percent of his 2.2 attempts per game.
As such, asking Kuminga to operate as a floor-spacer who corner crashes wouldn't exactly be the most ideal use of his skill set. He's more of a downhill finisher and a baseline lob threat who should be incorporated into pick-and-roll sets and given opportunities to get out in transition. Unfortunately, there's something to be said for Hachimura excelling in similar areas and having limited opportunities to utilize those skills.
The good news for Kuminga is that Los Angeles parting ways with LeBron James should create the space for him to do the things that Hachimura says he wasn't able to.
LeBron's departure should enable Kuminga to do what Rui couldn't
Hachimura's tenure with the the Lakers was spent with two roster structures that never truly suited his desire to play in the way he outlined. When he arrived in Los Angeles, they played through James and center Anthony Davis. When Davis was traded, the Lakers built a three-headed perimeter monster with Luka Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves.
Neither of those lineup structures permitted Hachimura to be the one to rebound and push the pace—particularly when Doncic and James played that very role themselves.
With James out of the equation and the Lakers now playing through two guards, however, they'll need wings who can generate offense from different angles. That should enable Kuminga to excel in a role that will allow him to attack the basket both with and without the ball.
Kuminga is also too talented of a rebounder to not feature in that regard, having pulled down 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 offensive boards per 36 minutes over the past two seasons.
In saying that, the Lakers will need to change their default settings. Yes, James is out of the equation. And everything written should prove true. Until it's put into practice, however, a heliocentric offense with ball-dominant guards could still prove limiting to those around them—particularly for a non-shooter like Kuminga.
If the Lakers want to acquire Kuminga and ultimately bring the best out of him, then they'll need to learn from how they limited Hachimura in previous seasons.
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