Rui Hachimura
The Los Angeles Lakers are aware of this being the right time for them to fill up their roster if they want to contest for the championship in the 2022-23 season. With LeBron James, Dennis Schroder, Russell Westbrook, and Thomas Bryant is a force to reckon with, the Purple and Gold side has added more strength by acquiring Rui Hachimura for Washington Wizards.
The Lakers traded for Rui by sacrificing Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks on Monday. Not only is the Japanese sensation an offensive juggernaut but can even defend the rim against the mightiest big men in the league.
This is just why Magic Johnson took to Twitter to applaud the LA Lakers for acquiring Rui Hachimura in a significant move.
The LA Lakers legend wrote, “I like the Lakers trade for Rui Hachimura. He’s long, athletic, and smart but has to get more aggressive on both ends of the court.”
Hachimura is going to be under the bright lights of LA now, which means everything that he does poorly will be magnified and be a source of criticism. Moreover, this forward will have the perfect opportunity presented to him as the Lakers are currently shorthanded with Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV, and Anthony Davis all sidelined.
That being said, Hachimura’s last few games in Washington showed he can be a 30-point scorer when the team needs him to be, which is needed in this Darvin Ham’s team where players can end up being very streaky.
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