Rui Hachimura has recently been on a roll. After dropping 36 points in the games against the Pistons and the Pelicans combined, Hachimura soared to greater heights against tonight at Delta Center.
Not only the crowd in attendance went wild after the Japanese forward’s drive, but even LeBron James himself joined in the frenzy. While LeBron is no stranger to the limelight himself, this time he directed the spotlight traffic towards Hachimura in a manner every seasoned pro should.
LeBron James lavishes praise on Rui Hachimura
Rui Hachimura was traded to the Lakers last year in January from the Wizards in a deal involving Kendrick Nunn. Since then, he has been maintaining a formidable standard. Hachimura played in LeBron James’ place against the Utah Jazz as the latter was excluded from the lineup due to the upcoming All-Star game.
The power forward scored an outstanding 36 points which helped the Lakers win 138-122. King James, who was watching the game from the sidelines, could not control his excitement seeing the 26-year-old dunk.
Known for actively sharing his views on X (formerly Twitter), LeBron wrote, “Lil bro going CRAZY tonight!!!!! YEEEAAAHHHH RUUUUUU”.
Hachimura has been observed to be getting polished under the 4-time NBA MVP over their time together. They worked alongside in the summer which could be a result of Hachimura’s career-high performance against the Jazz.
The 4-time NBA Champion is a part of the NBA All-Star team for the 20th consecutive time where he will lead the Western Conference team. Hence, he decided to take a break in the last match before the glamorous weekend in Indianapolis.
Rui Hachimura scores career-high points to see off Jazz
Rui Hachimura scored his career-high points against the Utah Jazz in the 34 minutes he played on Wednesday. He recorded 36 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist which is the highest point in his five years of service. He has averaged 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists this season by playing in 42 games.
After the game, the forward said, “I want to impact the game. My goal is to be the X-factor for the team, offensive or defensively. Be aggressive and use my size.”
His second highest was 30 points which he scored four times against the Magic (2023), Suns (2022), Hornets (2021) and Clippers (2019) when he was with the Washington Wizards.
If he continues his excellence on the floor, we might see him more in the starting five along with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.
However, with the addition of Spencer Dinwiddie, Darvin Ham has hinted at a 3-guard lineup which can be a factor working against Hachimura. The Lakers are the 9th-seeded team of the Western Conference and with their performance right now, particularly a 6-1 win record in their last seven games, there could be an impact on the standings soon.
