The Los Angeles Lakers are starting to get back on a roll like they did at the beginning of the season, but it’s been difficult with the injury bug never seeming to go away. For Rui Hachimura, he is finally starting to get back to himself after only being back from a calf injury for the last couple of weeks.
“Hachimura is set to return from a six-game absence due to a right calf strain. However, head coach JJ Redick said Saturday that the 27-year-old forward will be on a minutes restriction and may come off the bench Monday, according to Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com,” CBS Sports wrote.
Since returning, Hachimura has come off the bench. While the adjustment would be difficult for most players, he is willing to do whatever it takes for the Lakers to win games.
“A lot of people think about stats and all that, but for me it’s like winning. That’s gonna help us to everybody get paid,” Hachimura told The Athletic. “… And especially with this second unit, I get more touches too. … I don’t mind. It’s more so like, who’s finishing the game? Or who’s playing more? For me, that’s more important.”
While this is exactly what an organization wants from a player, Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts believes this could be Hachimura’s final season with the Lakers.
“Hachimura is making $18.2 million in the final year of his contract, and the Lakers haven’t extended him. That should tell fans all they need to know. If Los Angeles saw him as a long-term piece, the 6’8 forward would have a new contract and a more featured role,” Watts wrote.
Hachimura’s most memorable moments as a Laker have undoubtedly come from the series against the Memphis Grizzlies, where he could hardly miss from beyond the arc and completely dominated Memphis.
Since then, it has been harder to define his role as the organization continues to add pieces with similar playing styles. For this reason, it may be relatively easy for the Lakers to let him go at the conclusion of the season.
