Rui Hachimura made the reasons behind his recent success in the Memphis Grizzlies’ home arena clear after the Lakers’ 136-124 win over the Grizzlies last night.
“I’m not gonna lie, I’m not a big fan of this city. I have always had great memories here. We had a great run last year in the playoffs and I think we come back here next week. We got to take it one at a time. We’re 5-0 right now, we want to get six in a row.”
Hachimura also commented on what the team needs to do to keep their win streak going.
“Stick together. We have to communicate. It’s all about communication right now. It’s that time of the year, playoff time, so we have to communicate and trust each other.”
Rui Hachimura spoke with @LakersReporter following his 32-point performance against the Grizzlies. pic.twitter.com/CPxk7hQVWd
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 28, 2024
Hachimura put up 32 points and 10 rebounds in a game where most of the Lakers rotation was tired after a 2OT win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Anthony Davis was rested for this picture after playing over 50 minutes against the Bucks, while D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves have racked up heavy minutes over this stretch.
LeBron James was available for the Grizzlies game and didn’t have to go through the pain of playing the 2OT game against the Bucks. The only thing the Lakers will care about are the two wins they picked up in this stretch.
More Opportunities For Rui Hachimura Incoming
Hachimura has gradually earned a bigger role on the Lakers over the season, entering the starting lineup in January. Since then, the Lakers have been one of the most competitive teams in the NBA, climbing from being below .500 to currently sitting nine games ahead of .500 with a 41-32 record.
LeBron James made it clear that he will prioritize staying healthy over the final stretch of the season instead of playing through injuries to gain a higher seed.
“Health has always been the most important for our ball club, not just one individual. But for me, looking at myself, knowing my foot and my injury, how it reacts, and how it’s been over the last couple of years. I am always keeping a healthy eye on it. I would have tried to play yesterday if that was the case. I got to be smart with it. If I’m not healthy or close to being healthy, it’s not good for our ball club anyway. It’s not good for me.”
This would open up more minutes for Hachimura, who’s been deployed in both small and power forward positions depending on the lineup. He should remain a starter nonetheless, but he will receive more opportunities to shine if LeBron misses more games going forward.
Rui was reportedly upset at head coach Darvin Ham earlier this season, but it’s good to see him earn the coach’s trust and solidify a starting lineup spot ahead of Taurean Prince. Hachimura is averaging 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds this season.
The Lakers have a ripe opportunity to climb the standings, sitting just 2.5 games behind the No. 6 seed in the West. They’ll definitely push for the seed given their great form since January, but they’ll not endanger the health of their players. James missed a crucial game against the Milwaukee Bucks to manage his ankle injury while the Lakers sat Davis for rest last night after his 51-minute outing against the Bucks.
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