Rui Hachimura had his best game since joining the Lakers in February. The 25-year-old Japanese forward scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Purple and Gold crushed the Rockets (134-109).
He received praised from LeBron James after the game for his performance. “Game ball definitely goes to Rui, for sure,” the four-time NBA champion said about Hachimura. “He was all over the floor not only offensively, but defensively. Couple of big-time blocks, rebounding out of his position.”
“I think he’s a rhythm player,” James added later. “When he knows he’s going to play and he’s going to get significant minutes coming off the bench, I think he can really, really good for us.
“I think coach Ham has a done a great job over last couple of games, including coaching staff, of finding rotation that’s been fitting our team. And Rui’s been one of the first guys off the bench. We look for him.
“We know what he’s capable of. At his size there’s not many guys his height and his size, and his build to guard him on offensive end. But tonight he was very assertive and that’s why went for him more and more.”
Hachimura is averaging 9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game for Los Angeles.
