Film Study: What Rui Hachimura brings to the Lakers

Jan 25, 2023 - 4:56 PM

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The Los Angeles Lakers acquired former No. 9 overall pick Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards for guard Kendrick Nunn and three second round picks. It’s a deal that could be a true win-win for all parties, as it was no secret Hachimura wanted out of Washington while Nunn needed a change of scenery and consistent playing time (and the Wizards get draft capital).

Hachimura brings some much-needed size to the team, standing 6’8 along with a massive 7’2 wingspan. To get a better feel for what he brings to the Lakers team and potential question marks, I took a deeper dive into the film:

You always have to stress patience with new moves because it takes time for players to get comfortable in new surroundings and develop chemistry, but Rui’s profile certainly makes sense on this Lakers team.

This could end up being a very shrewd move by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka for this season and beyond as the team now acquires Hachimura’s bird rights into restricted free agency after the Wizards declined to offer him an extension this past summer (and the Lakers can always buy back into the second round of the draft). The team gets time to see how he fits and at only 25 years old certainly has time to develop even further.

With the Lakers playing far more competitively over the past 13 games and the addition of Rui — along with Lonnie Walker and Austin Reaves potentially being back soon, and most importantly the long-awaited return of Anthony Davis looming close — this could be an inflection point for the team in a very tightly contested Western Conference with 30-plus games still left to play.

Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT has a doctorate in physical therapy from Northern Arizona University, is a youth basketball coach at the U12 level and runs his own in-person and online sports medicine and performance business, 3CB Performance, in West LA and Valencia, CA in which he further combines his movement expertise and fitness training. Combining his background in biomechanics, movement science, and learning science - he consults in a variety of sports including basketball on movement mechanics and skill acquisition. Brar is additionally training at UCLA’s mindful awareness research center (MARC and analyzes the Lakers from a skills & medical perspective for Silver Screen and Roll and on his own YouTube Channel. You can follow him on Twitter at @3cbPerformance.