Rui Hachimura helped spark the turnaround of the Los Angeles Lakers last season when they went from a mediocre team to one that reached the Western Conference finals. The Lakers are widely considered championship contenders this season, and Hachimura, who is 25 years of age, could be poised for a career year.
General manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham told the media on Thursday that the forward has been working closely with LeBron James during the offseason. After Hachimura retweeted a quote from that press conference from Pelinka, James responded by comparing his mentoring of the Japanese native to Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid franchise.
Buy Lakers Tickets🙏🏾🤝🏾 pic.twitter.com/WG27IkhOoQ
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 30, 2023
Hachimura has been very lucky to not only learn from James but to also be coached by Phil Handy, a Lakers assistant considered the best player development coach in the league.
With his one-on-one skills, the ability to finish strongly in transition and play spurts of effective defense, the forward has plenty of room for improvement moving forward.
