“I can be in the right position. I can use my length. And I think that’s the one thing that I’ve been working on with the coaches and I think that’s getting better”. Via LA Times, Rui Hachimura addressed how, out of necessity, his offensive efforts have seen an increase. He has had to take on more ‘dynamic’ players on the perimeter. Fortunately, amidst JJ Redick’s new plans, the 26-year-old power forward seems to be thriving. His average points may be lower than the previous season, but his rebounds have seen an uptick. It is this stat that played a key role in the Lakers’ recent victory. A fact that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis appreciate.

Post Lakers’ 103-99 win against the Kings, LeBron James gave his flowers to Rui Hachimura in the post-game Q&A session. He stated, “I mean, he’s been great. I just think like you said, he’s paying attention to detail. He know what we’re doing every single night and, you know, we rely on him. I mean, he’s a big piece of our puzzle and the biggest possession of the game was that offensive rebound vs…. one of the best rebounding bigs in our league, vs Sabonis, and that was just super key, and it helped us win the game”.

‘Big piece of our puzzle’. Through these 5 words, LeBron James may have crushed discussion of any trade rumors about the power forward. If that wasn’t enough, then Anthony Davis’ praise would only help to further propel Hachimura’s LA hopes.

“Once in the past, I like completely missed. Either left, short, right, or long. But I definitely appreciate Rui, you know, with the tip out. My wife even called me and said ‘he saved you’, you know. So that made me feel like worse than…” said AD, as a few reporters laughed. “But I mean, the end of the day, Rui got tipped off when we got knocked down, (and that’s) why we able to seal the victory”.

The recent Lakers-Kings matchup saw Rui Hachimura deliver only 9 points, despite playing 38 minutes. He did make up for it with his 11 rebounds. That placed his efficiency rating at 10 for the game. This performance came in the aftermath of a streak filled with other memorable games. One of them included the matchup against the Trail Blazers, during which Hachimura made 23 points!

That may have caused The Athletic’s Jovan Buha to put out the claim that Rui is viewed as a “longer-term piece”. Even a recent report by Athlon Sports claimed that the power forward “seems the safest of the group, with both head coach JJ Redick and GM Rob Pelinka indicating they view him as part of their long-term plans”. After all, if anyone saw anything during the recent game, it was the Gonzaga alum’s ability to draw up plays based on changing circumstances.

Rui Hachimura discussed using Anthony Davis when planning out his big rebound: “I gotta get back something for the team”

The highlight of the game for Rui Hachimura was when 12.1 seconds remained on the clock. The Lakers led 101-99, and the free throw granted to Anthony Davis would’ve helped increase the lead. AD missed. However, Rui, who was standing close to the rim, leaped and ‘Will Smith’d’ the ball. The move may have very well earned the Lakers a win. It certainly helped the Japanese star earn his teammates’ respect!

When addressing the move, Hachimura stated, “I saw they subbed in Alex Len so they knew it was gonna be a big rebound play. There were 3 big men under there, so, I knew the other guy next to me was gonna go to AD. So I knew if I pushed him a little bit I could kind of get a good position and I could tap it out. I’ve been doing that the whole season literally, you guys have seen it. But that was much needed. I kind of felt bad I missed the last 3 in the corner, so I was like I gotta get back something for the team. It was a good win.”

If the reports by Jovan Buha and Athlon Sports are to be believed, then we may see Rui Hachimura continue playing for the Lakers, amidst a wild range of trade reports revolving in the rumor mill. What do you think is going to happen? Drop your thoughts below.