With Jarred Vanderbilt sidelined for the foreseeable future, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham made a strategic move, turning to Rui Hachimura to fill the void in the starting lineup.

Hachimura’s presence in the starting five against both the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets resulted in victories for the Lakers. While Taurean Prince had been a consistent starter for Los Angeles throughout the 2023-24 season, Ham opted for Hachimura to add size to the frontcourt.

The Lakers have faced challenges in generating offense without LeBron James or Anthony Davis on the court. However, Hachimura’s inclusion provides an additional dimension to the team’s half-court offense, even if he hasn’t exploded offensively.

James expressed satisfaction with the new starting lineup, highlighting Hachimura’s compatibility with the team’s style of play:

“We’re big,” James remarked. “We have a lot of length, a lot of athleticism. Rui works well with us, and we’re just trying to find him, especially when he’s running out and has early seals in the post or whatever the case may be, mismatches. So he works well with us.”

Davis also chimed in, emphasizing Hachimura’s ability to draw smaller defenders due to opposing teams focusing on slowing down James and himself:

“He’s 6’8 so we can post him up,” Davis explained. “He’s a good rebounder, good finisher. We try to expose that. The bigger guys are probably gonna be on me and Bron so then they can try to put a good defender who is usually a bigger guy on DLo and AR, so Rui is usually left with a smaller guy. So we just try to take advantage of that and have him post up or duck in off the glass to try to get him going.”

For the Lakers, size and physicality have been crucial elements of their success in recent years, making Hachimura’s inclusion a return to their trademark brand of basketball. The current starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Hachimura, James, and Davis has proven effective, particularly in postseason play.

Hachimura’s impact was particularly notable in a game against the Celtics when he stepped up in Vanderbilt’s absence, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter. He attributed his performance to assistant coach Phil Handy’s encouragement to take open shots when presented with the opportunity.