Rui Hachimura was one of the central figures in the Los Angeles Lakers’ turnaround this past season. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward was acquired in late January from the struggling Washington Wizards for little-used guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks.
Although Hachimura was inconsistent and even passive at times in the regular season, his impact was apparent. He gave Los Angeles another legitimate scoring threat, especially in iso situations, and at times, he played effective positional defense. In particular, he hounded eventual NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic during the Western Conference finals.
Some are projecting Hachimura to move into the Lakers’ starting lineup this season. However, there are several reasons they would be better off if he were their sixth man instead.