The Spurs put the Lakers to the test on Wednesday night. San Antonio was leading for most of the game and Los Angeles was rallying late in the fourth quarter.
However, it wasn’t Luka Dončić highlight play,
a Marcus Smart defensive stop or a Deandre Ayton battle underneath, but a pair of Rui Hachimura plays that swung things in the Lakers’ favor.
On a run late in the fourth, Rui knocked down a big wing 3-pointer to pull LA within two. Then, late in the game, he stepped up and drew a charge on Victor Wembanyama for his sixth foul of the game.
After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick made sure to acknowledge Hachimura’s efforts and willingness to sacrifice for the team.
“I thought Rui made the two biggest plays in the game,” Redick said. “[Assistant coach] Beau [Levesque] and I always joke, it’s remarkable, he can go eight minutes of a game, which sometimes can be 30 minutes of real time, not touch a basketball – literally not touch a ball – and then just bang a wide open three.
“He made that three, which was huge, and then the charge on Wemby. I looked it up, his eighth charge of his entire career and that, at least in my opinion, was the biggest one yet. So, two big plays for him.”
The 3-pointer Hachimura made was not only a big shot, but it was also his only field goal in the entire second half. In fact, he didn’t even attempt a shot during the third quarter.
As Redick mentioned, for Hachimura to be a starter, not get a look at the basket and go ahead and hit that kind of momentum-shifting jumper, is impressive.
While the shot was big, getting Wemby to foul out was arguably even more impactful. Wemby wasn’t dominant in this matchup, but it doesn’t take much to get him going.
For the Spurs to have to go the rest of the way without their best player certainly helped the Lakers. Kudos to Hachimura for setting his feet, drawing that charge and getting him out of the game. Baiting Wemby into fouling out might be the closest anyone gets to stopping him.
Being a Laker since the Darvin Ham era, Hachimura has seen the highs and the lows here in Los Angeles. Overall, he’s consistently been a player who fits in wherever you put him and performs without pouting.
“For me, just being around here three or four seasons, I’m trying to accept my role,” Hachimura said. “I know I’m not a ball handler. I came here and started working on my threes, started working on making shots without dribbling. I’m good at it. Sometimes you don’t get the ball, but you have to be ready. Mentally, I have to be kind of ready for the moments. Like when I made the shot, I didn’t touch the ball at all in the second half. I think that comes with my patience and my mindset to be ready for that moment.”
Clearly, Rui isn’t someone demanding the ball on offense. But that didn’t stop him from throwing a playful jab at his point guard postgame, though.
“Yeah, he told me I didn’t pass him the ball today,” Luka said. “I go to do that more, I see. Jokes aside, I think he’s been amazing just staying ready in the moment, And he’s a great guy too, so that’s the kind of people you want to have on your team. The start he’s having, it’s very underrated and we need him to keep going.”
Since Redick has been the head coach, Hachimura has been a player whose name you can write in ink in the starting lineup. Last season, he started in all but two games. This year, he has never begun a game on the bench.
The two key plays Hachimura made against the Spurs are a prime example of how he impacts winning and why he is trusted. It also helps that he’s currently averaging 16.7 points and shooting 47% from 3-point range.
Hachimura might not have the superstar upside Austin Reaves does or be an All-NBA player like Luka, but he’s the type of guy who can be a big part of a championship team.
Redick is fortunate to have a player like Hachimura on his team, and he knows it. Hopefully, some of Hachimura’s haters can start to realize it, too.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
