Rui Hachimura began the year as a starter for the Lakers, but after a quarter of the season passed and the starting unit struggled to win their minutes, he was relegated to the bench.
He’s since embraced the sixth man role and is solely focused on helping the Lakers win.
As a reserve player, Hachimura has given the bench an offensive injection. He is averaging 10.2 points and averaging 42% from deep, giving Lakers head coach JJ Redick a reserve he can rely on as a scorer.
While Hachimura provides offense,
his Lakers teammate Jarred Vanderbilt brings a similar intensity defensivley.
Vando has established himself as a player who can guard multiple positions and is one of the few Lakers who can say defense is a strong suit.
The Lakers’ recent contest against the Sixers was a prime example of this duo helping to lift LA to success.
Hachimura scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Vanderbilt was hustling all over the court and had a plus-minus of +16 in the 23 minutes he played.
After the comeback win, Hachimura spoke about how this dynamic duo is making an impact.
“I think, especially coming off the bench, we got to bring the energy,” Hachimura said. “Me, Vando, we have the length, the strength and everything. We talk about it every game. We just got to bring the energy. Me and him are gonna be the x-factors on this team.”
No player is perfect, but the goal is to have five on the court who balance each other out and are better as a unit.
Hachimura gives the Lakers bench scoring they severely need, and Vanderbilt, playing a couple of shifts a game, provides defensive versatility and a player who can change momentum with a couple of timely plays.
They’ve both been with this franchise since 2023 and have experienced all the highs and lows that have come during this era of Lakers basketball. Now they are both established as bench players and embracing that position.
When each plays well, they uplift the team and are a reason LA remains above .500 despite all the injuries they’ve had.
With both settling into their roles, they have time to continue building chemistry on the court. The Lakers still have a good chunk of the season left, followed by postseason action. If they want to go as far as possible, they’ll need Hachimura and Vando at the top of their game.
From the looks of it and based on Hachimura’s words, this duo is ready to do whatever it takes to make that happen and be the x-factors that help raise this team’s ceiling.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
