The Los Angeles Lakers have a new sheriff in town with first-year head coach JJ Redick.
Redick has one of the best basketball minds in the game, which was a key reason Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was set on the 40-year-old becoming the team’s next head coach.
That said, it seems as if the rookie head coach has high hopes for a talented player in the team’s frontcourt.
“I was just here working out and we talked for 30 minutes,” Rui Hachimura told Lakers’ beat reporter Mike Trudell on Monday, referencing Redick. “He talked about wanting me to shoot more threes. He thinks I’m a great shooter. Offensively, defensively, I have to be involved more, and I think it’s going to be a big year for me.”
Hachimura was selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards. The Gonzaga product showed plenty of flashes in Washington, but not enough to build around the former lottery pick.
In 2023, Los Angeles dealt for the young forward to help bolster the team’s frontcourt depth in hopes of tapping into Hachimura’s potential.
Last season, the 6-foot-8 playmaker averaged 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 53.7% shooting from field goal range and 42.2% from beyond the arc.
Redick’s plan to have Hachimura more involved and take more threes should be music to the ears of Lakers fans.
If the forward’s expectations of himself are right and he does get more involved this upcoming season, Hachimura could be a huge key for LA in their pursuit of Banner 18.
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