The Los Angeles Lakers are not even a month into the season, and they are already staring at a problem they did not exactly plan for: the Rui Hachimura–Jake LaRavia pairing just is not working. The longer this continues, the more it begins to resemble a major decision point for the front office.
Both players bring useful tools. Hachimura this season has looked great. Through 13 games this season, he has been averaging a career-high in points per game while shooting a career-best 50.0 percent from beyond the arc. He has become a steady and reliable scorer who knows how to use his size to his advantage.
LaRavia, meanwhile, has been one of the early surprises of the year. He is significantly more active and versatile than most fans expected when he arrived this past offseason. Despite both of these players balling out, the numbers on the court are, unfortunately, impossible to ignore.
Lakers statistics reveal a clear discrepancy between the pairing and team success
When Hachimura and LaRavia share the floor, the pair have a net rating of -5.5. Split the pair up, and the change is almost jarring.
Hachimura with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves: net rating of 8.8. LaRavia with Doncic and Reaves: net rating 33.9.
Suppose the entire organization is building around Doncic; fit matters. Right now, the fit is leaning more towards LaRavia.
He has only played 14 games repping the purple and gold, and he just turned 24 on Nov. 3, but he has shown tremendous upside. He already looks like someone who understands where to be and how to impact the game without needing touches.
So far this season, he has been averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals.. His defensive activity has given the Lakers a spark they did not expect to see so soon.
Before the start of the season, fans were viewing him as nothing more than just a depth gamble. Instead, he has been a legit contributor.
Hachimura, for his part, has not played poorly. In many ways, his steady scoring and playoff resume make him a valuable piece. He is also older and more expensive, and he is the one whose game overlaps in ways that complicate rotations.
If the Lakers wanted to make a meaningful in-season upgrade, he is the player other teams would ask for. None of this means Hachimura should be traded.
However, it does mean the Lakers need to determine whether this roster can support both players. The path forward might make that decision for them.
As of now, only time will tell, but if LaRavia continues to trend upward, the question will not be whether he is part of the future. It will depend on whether Hachimura still fits in it.