Rui Hachimura has had a solid start to life with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has shown he can be a reliable role player for them, which is what the team needed, and helps fill some of the holes in this roster.
There is one noticeable change when it comes to Hachimura since he got traded, which is his jersey number. He wore the number 8 when he was with the Washington Wizards but switched to 28 with the Lakers and owner Jeanie Buss explained why he chose that number specifically.
(starts at 35:21 mark):
“Our new player Hachimura when I met him and I ask him have you chosen a number yet, and he said, ‘Yeah, I am wearing no. 28.’ and I’m like, ‘Oh great’, and he said, ‘Because no. 2 for Gianna and No. 8 for Kobe.’ and I was like, this kid is going to do good.”
That was a lovely gesture from Hachimura. Kobe Bryant, of course, wore no. 8 with the Lakers until the 2005-06 season, when he changed it to 24. The no. 2, meanwhile, was Giannia Bryant’s number at the Mamba Sports Academy before she tragically passed away along with her father 3 years ago.
The Lakers Have Some Concerns Regarding Russell Westbrook
The Lakers will be hoping that this trade for Hachimura from the Wizards works out better than their last trade with them, which was when they acquired Russell Westbrook. It was a rough first season for Russ with the Lakers and while things have gotten better ever since he started coming off the bench, it is still not an ideal situation. NBA insider Eric Pincus has now reported that there are concerns within the franchise regarding his viability in the playoffs.
One of the reasons why Westbrook has done well off the bench is because he doesn’t have to share the ball with LeBron James a whole lot. Rotations get a lot smaller in the postseason and it just won’t work if James and Westbrook are together on the court for an extended period of time. GM Rob Pelinka had stated that the team isn’t finished making moves and Westbrook could find himself on his way out.
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