The Los Angeles Lakers made their fans wait quite a while before finally making a move this season by acquiring Rui Hachimura and it would appear he was worth the wait. Hachimura has been really impressive for the Lakers and had probably his best game on Tuesday night.
Hachimura finished with 19 points on 66.7% shooting from the field while hauling in 9 rebounds in their overtime win over the New York Knicks. After the game, LeBron James was asked what impressed him the most about Hachimura’s performance and LeBron praised his aggressiveness, while also sending him a message.
(starts at 5:08 mark):
“He was aggressive from the beginning of the game until the end. We don’t want Rui to fit in, we want him to fit out. We don’t want him to just come in and just be on some cool because that’s what he is, he’s super cool, low-key, low-maintenance. But his ability and what he can bring to our team, we need him to showcase that every night for us. Me and AD said ‘be aggressive from the very beginning’, and he was that all the way to the very end, finishing off his performance with that block. It’s a great piece to have and we’re lucky to have him.”
LeBron wants Hachimura to be aggressive when he is on the court and not just try to fit in. He has clearly been impressed with what he has seen so far and wants him to stay consistent as he will then be a great asset to the Lakers. Assistant coach Phil Handy had also compared him to Kawhi Leonard and it is evident the Lakers have high expectations of him.
Rui Hachimura Spoke About Why He Chose To Wear No. 28 For The Lakers
While Hachimura impresses on the court, he also seems to have made quite a positive impression outside of it. After he arrived, owner Jeanie Buss asked him if he had chosen a jersey number and he told her he was going with 28.
The reasoning behind it was that the 2 is for Gianna Bryant, who wore the number at the Mamba Sports Academy, while the 8 is for Kobe Bryant, who had that number for half his career. It is a lovely gesture and it seems Hachimura’s heart is in the right place.
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