EL SEGUNDO — The belief that the Lakers, led by head coach JJ Redick, had in Rui Hachimura and his growth as a player was evident before the 26-year-old forward started his sixth NBA season.
Despite disappointing performances during the Lakers’ first-round exit to the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 playoffs, Redick named Hachimura as a starter before training camp, believing in the synergy the team found with Hachimura in the first unit to close the 2023-24 season.
Even when there were stretches of rough individual play, or the team altering itself after the blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic, that belief didn’t fade, with Hachimura being a full-time starter in 2024-25 for the first time since his second season in the league.
And despite Redick not defining a player’s “role’ by whether they start or come off the bench as a reserve, it was significant for Hachimura to have consistency in what was being asked of him on the best team he’s been a part of.
“From the start, they trusted me,” Hachimura said during his end-of-season news conference. “On my offense, defense, everything. They kept telling me to shoot more [3-pointers]. Be aggressive on defense. Be aggressive [rebounding]. Basically everything.
“It helped me, as a basketball player, of course. And I think I was able to help this team to get to this point. So I’m thankful to them.”
And Hachimura rewarded the trust the Lakers had in him with arguably the most well-rounded season of his career.
Hachimura finished 2024-25 with averages of 13.1 points on 50.9% shooting (41.3% on 3s) and five rebounds in 31.7 minutes (59 games – 57 starts).
While none of his per-game counting stats were career-highs, Hachimura made tweaks to his game that helped him be effective despite his usage rate going down for the fourth consecutive season.
Hachimura attempted (247) and made (102) more 3s than he had in any other season of his career.
His individual offensive rebounding rate (4.5%) off missed field goals was above average for a player at his position for the first time in his career.
He usually held his own when tasked with guarding opposing teams’ best wings or forwards.
“Rui had an outstanding season, and he was incredibly important to what we were able to do this year,” Redick said. “He was a vital cog on both sides of the ball. The games that he missed, it was apparent to the coaching staff how valuable he was. Particularly in the last two games, I thought he played extremely well in the playoffs.”
In 2025-26, Hachimura will be on the last season of a three-year, $51 million contract he signed with the Lakers during the 2023 offseason.
With an $18.3 million salary for next season that’s part of an expiring deal, and it being evident that he’s still rounding out his game and developing, Hachimura will likely come up in offseason trade buzz as the Lakers look to upgrade their roster after back-to-back first-round playoff exits.
But the Lakers’ belief in Hachimura has been evident, and with how important he was for them, the Lakers would need to make a significant upgrade at a position of need for Hachimura to be on another team at the start of the 2025-26 season.
Hachimura will become eligible for a contract extension on July 6.
“I’m excited to see his growth,” Redick said. “Some of that is paint decision making, some of that is working on his handles and his closeouts. Of all the guys that we laid out what we expect from them, what we’re asking them to do and starring in their role, he’s up there at the top of the list.”