Tag: rui hachimura

Lakers win over Hornets features rare Rui Hachimura starting lineup appearance

Per the LA Times:

Who was that masked man who stepped into the Lakers’ starting lineup Thursday and turned what might have been an uncomfortable situation into a forceful bounceback victory over Charlotte during a particularly difficult stretch of a still-difficult season?

With Cam Reddish unavailable against the Hornets because of a sore groin, coach Darvin Ham coyly said before the game he’d play “someone” in Reddish’s place. That “someone” turned out to be Rui Hachimura, who’s still required to wear a face covering after undergoing surgery for a nasal fracture he suffered in November.

The lineup change, born of necessity rather than choice, proved a good one. Hachimura combined with reserves Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Max Christie and Christian Wood to close the third quarter with a 14-5 surge that helped extend what had been a one-point lead at halftime to 19 after three. The same five players also started the fourth quarter, putting enough space between the Lakers and the Hornets (7-22) to allow LeBron James and Anthony Davis to be spectators for the final 12 minutes of an eventual 133-112 romp.

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Lakers extend qualifying offers to Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves

The Los Angeles Lakers yesterday extended qualifying offers to forward Rui Hachimura and guard Austin Reaves.

As a result of the qualifying offers, Hachimura and Reaves become restricted free agents.

After joining Los Angeles via trade from Washington on Jan. 23, Hachimura appeared in 33 games (nine starts) and averaged 9.6 points (.485 FG%) and 4.7 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per contest to end the 2022-23 regular season. Overall, Hachimura appeared in 63 games (nine starts) with the Lakers and Wizards last season and averaged 11.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game. During the 2023 NBA Playoffs with the purple and gold, Hachimura averaged 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16 games (one start), shooting 55.7 percent from the field and 48.7 percent from 3-point range, good for the sixth-best mark in the playoffs. The 25-year-old was the only player in the 2023 NBA Playoffs to shoot at least 55 percent from the field (min. 10 FGA), 48 percent from 3-point range and 88 percent from the free-throw line. On April 16 versus Memphis, Hachimura scored 29 points (11-14 FG, 3-6 3FG) to go with six rebounds and one assist off the bench, tying Mychal Thompson in 1988 for the most points scored by a Lakers reserve in a playoff game. Hachimura then finished with 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal on April 19 at the Grizzlies, becoming the first Lakers player since Magic Johnson in 1996 to score 20+ points off the bench in consecutive playoff games.

In the 2022-23 campaign, Reaves appeared in 64 games (22 starts) for the Lakers, averaging 13.0 points (.529 FG%, .398 3P%), 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 28.8 minutes. Reaves joined Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard as the only players in the league to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the free-throw line (min. 200 FTM). The 25-year-old scored in double figures in 42 games, including 10 games with 20+ points and one 30-point performance. On March 19 versus Orlando, Reaves finished with a career-high 35 points (9-14 FG, 16-18 FT) while adding six rebounds and six assists, becoming the first undrafted Lakers player to score 35+ points and just the second player in team history to tally 35+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists off the bench. In his second season with the Lakers, Reaves improved his career averages in scoring and assists, as well as his shooting percentages from the field, 3-point range and the charity stripe. In 16 playoff games (all starts) last season, Reaves averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 44.3 percent from long distance and 89.5 percent from the free-throw line. He scored in double figures in 15 of his 16 playoff appearances, including seven games with at least 20 points.

Wizards trade Rui Hachimura to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired forward Rui Hachimura in a trade with the Washington Wizards for guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka.

The Wizards acquired Nunn, a 2023 second round pick (via Chicago), the less favorable of the 2028 second round picks of Los Angeles and Washington and Los Angeles’ own 2029 second round pick from the Lakers. Washington also generates a trade exception in the exchange.

“We are excited to welcome Rui and his family to the Los Angeles Lakers,” said Pelinka. “Adding both size and depth to the wing position has been a goal, and the chance to accomplish that by acquiring a player with Rui’s two-way skills and upside was an opportunity that doesn’t present itself often. We want to thank Kendrick Nunn and his family for his time as a Laker, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

Hachimura (6’8”, 230) has appeared in 30 games for Washington this season, averaging 13.0 points (.488 FG%, .337 3P%), 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.3 minutes per game. In 177 career NBA games (118 starts) across four seasons (2019-23) with the Wizards, the 24-year-old has averaged 13.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 27.8 minutes, shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from 3-point range. Hachimura, who received All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2020, has played in five career playoff games (all starts) with the Wizards, averaging 14.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 34.6 minutes per game.

The Japan native was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after a three-year collegiate career (2016-19) at Gonzaga University. In his final season as a junior, Hachimura appeared in 37 games and averaged 19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per contest on his way to being named a consensus First Team All-American.

“Kendrick has shown the ability to be a solid perimeter threat who can provide instant offense as a reserve,” said Wizards President Tommy Sheppard. “He has proven to be a valuable contributor during his young career, most notably as key role player helping Miami make a run to the Finals.”

Nunn, a 6-3 guard in his third NBA season, holds career averages of 13.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 162 games with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He has appeared in 39 games (two starts) this season in Los Angeles, averaging 6.7 points per game. Nunn had appeared in every game for the Lakers during the month of January, scoring a season-high 23 points in a win over Atlanta on January 6 and averaging 10.5 points on .474 shooting from the field in 18.3 minutes per game.

Nunn was selected as a member of the 2019-20 All-Rookie First Team while with Miami after averaging 15.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, helping Miami to an NBA Finals appearance in the NBA Bubble. The Chicago native followed his rookie campaign by averaging 14.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 2020-21 with Miami before missing the entire 2021-22 campaign with a right knee bone bruise.