For weeks there has been speculation about his possible transfer Rui Hachimura.
Finally, anyone selected in the top 10 of the 2019 Draft has a new home afterward Los Angeles Lakers to undertake their services in return Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks.
It may not be the super trade Lakers fans were hoping for (Rob Pelinka still holds onto his prized first-round picks from 2027 and 2029), but there are plenty of signs that this trade is a bona fide move.
Hachimura fulfills a number of vital requirements for a talent-deprived team still in the playoff race. How exactly will he fit in with the trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook?
Let’s break it down.
LeBron James can develop Rui Hachimura on offense
The Lakers are in desperate need of shooting help. They rank last in three-pointers per game and 26th in percentage, with only a 33.7% pass rate as a team.
At first glance, Hachimura doesn’t seem to be able to help much in this department. He is in the midst of a recent shooting slump that has seen his 3-point percentage drop to 34%. However, you may be about to experience a positive reversion to the mean. He made 45% of his 3-point shots last season and in his career he has a steady 36%.
If you dig a little deeper into Hachimura’s numbers, the reasons for optimism are even greater. He was impressive in his open shots. According to NBA statistics, he made 42% of his three-pointers from two meters or more. Last season he was even better, making 46% of those shots. And over the past two years he’s a 41% three-point shooter on consistent leg shots.
With the Wizards, Hachimura didn’t get many of those opportunities. The team ranked 28th in open 3-point percentage made at the time news of the trade broke, in part because they had below-average point guards during that stretch. This season, Delon Wright has passed the ball to Hachimura more. Last year, that player was Ish Smith.
Hachimura goes from working with these two mediocre playmakers to the side of LeBron James, one of the best passers of all time. LeBron will give Hachimura the best shots of his career.
Hachimura is also a great finisher. This season, he has made 74% of his closer shots at the rim, which ranks him in the top 10 of all small forwards in the league. LeBron is a master at finding free agents in transition and near the rim. These should be easy areas for Hachimura to increase his scoring production.
The Japanese is capable of giving LeBron a breather and bolstering a second unit that lacked any offensive juice. According to Basketball-Reference, the Lakers’ offensive rating with LeBron on the court was 117.8, which would be a top-four mark if he lasted the entire season. But when LeBron sits, his offensive rating drops to 109.6, which would be the lowest in the league.
Hachimura is an elite mid-range shooter who can create his own offense, solving that problem for the Lakers. His 1.17 points per possession in isolated games is in the 92nd percentile of all players in the league, better than any current Lakers player.
Rui Hachimura’s defense is less problematic next to Anthony Davis
If any interior could be combined to suit Hachimura, Davis would be near the top of the list.
Hachimura’s most glaring weakness thus far in his career has been his lack of defensive impact. Although he has great size and length (1.88m and 1.83m wingspan), he is not particularly good at guarding the rim and can get lost without the ball. He also has issues with technique and placement.
Davis is one of the best players in the league at correcting these types of mistakes. He had a renaissance season, well on his way to a possible Defensive Player of the Year before injuring his foot on December 16.
Davis has also been eager to play more center this season. This will give Hahimura a chance to fill his best position, that of power forward.
subscribe to NBA League Pass to see all games: United States | The rest of the world
Rui Hachimura reunites with Russell Westbrook
Hachimura will also get a chance to reconnect with former Wizards teammate Westbrook. Both maintained a good relationship in the 2020-2021 season. Hachimura used to refer to Westbrook as his own Senpai, or veteran leader in Japanese. Wesbtroook even gave lessons to Hachimura that he could use in the middle of matches.
I enjoyed this series…
1) Rui Hachimura turns the ball over onto the post
2) Westbrook pulls him aside huddled and coaches him
3) His first game out of timeout, Rui applies the teachings in a similar situation and takes free throws pic.twitter.com/3aq1SgDydq—Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 18, 2021
Westbrook had good chemistry with Hachimura on the court in Washington. Rui was Westbrook’s second favorite target behind Bradley Beal. Hachimura should take advantage of the attention Westbrook continues to receive on drives and be able to come back for easy points.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
