Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) is defended by Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura steps up for short-handed Lakers without LeBron James

Originally posted on Gonzaga Bulldogs on SI
By Cole Forsman | Last updated Dec 9, 2024 7:13 PM ET

Rui Hachimura found out just minutes before tip-off Sunday that the Los Angeles Lakers would need him to step up in a big way without LeBron James in the starting lineup against the Portland Trail Blazers.

On short notice, the former Gonzaga men’s basketball standout delivered his best performance of the season to help the Lakers (13-11) get back in the win column with a 107-98 win over the Blazers (8-16). Hachimura scored 23 points, grabbed five rebounds, recorded four steals and had one block in 39 minutes, as LA snapped a 3-game losing skid behind big nights from Anthony Davis (30 points, 11 rebounds) and D’Angelo Russell (28 points, 14 assists).

“The coaches told me I had to step up tonight,” Hachimura said. “So I was grateful. Just as a team I think we were moving the ball well, D’lo was great, low-post with AD, and especially the other guys, Gabe [Vincent], Max [Christie], Cam [Reddish] was very good defensively.”

Rui Hachimura Highlights vs Trail Blazers :

38 MIN
23 PTS
9-13 FG (69%)
3-5 3PT (60%)
5 REB
4 STL
2 AST
1 BLK
+31 +/-

Rui had by far his best game so far this season in LeBron's absence. JJ Redick was in his ear to be more aggressive on both sides of the floor and he did… pic.twitter.com/a2Ie8yctTN
— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) December 9, 2024

Hachimura went 9-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range in the victory. It was his efforts on defense, however, that stood out in light of the fact that the Lakers had been playing poorly on that end of the floor during their recent skid. After giving up 134 points in consecutive losses, LA didn’t surrender more than 100 for the first time since Nov. 16 (10 games).

“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Hachimura said. “Especially defensively, we’ve been struggling. But today I think playing more with Gabe, Cam, Max — I think it made us easier to be more aggressive because I can trust them. They always make the plays defensively. So I think it was great defensively for us.”

Along with his strides as a defender, Hachimura has been more consistent from long range thus far into his sixth season as a pro. Through 19 games, the 6-foot-8 Japanese forward is on pace to set career-highs in both 3-point field goals attempted per game (3.5) and 3-point field goal percentage (46.3%, 10th-best in the NBA). At the charity stripe, he’s knocking down a career-best 85.3% of his attempts.

Safe to say J.J. Redick’s free-flowing style of play has fit Hachimura well, especially after he cooked the Blazers on consecutive possessions while running the same play Redick called for him, over and over again.

“We probably did what we didn't do this whole season, we did in this game,” Hachimura said. “But that's the trust I got from this team, especially [because] LeBron was out today.”