Head coach JJ Redick and the Los Angeles Lakers are continuing to make adjustments to the lineup over halfway through the season.
Injuries have played a role in these moves. Players such as Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Rui Hachimura have missed extended periods this season.
Not just this, but a new group of first-year Lakers has made it difficult for chemistry to build, but Rui Hachimura has said that he's willing to step up in any way possible.
Rui Hachimura is open to a bench role for the Lakers
Since getting traded from the Washington Wizards to the Lakers in 2023, Rui Hachimura has worked his way from coming off the bench to becoming an everyday starter for Los Angeles.
Over the past three seasons, Hachimura has started in 123 of the 161 games he's played in. With the emergence of Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart replacing Austin Reaves in the starting lineup until he's ready to come back from his injury, Hachimura has come off the bench for the Lakers over the past seven games.
"I like my role here," Hachimura told The Athletic's Dan Wolke. "The things I like to do, I'm doing here. I just gotta embrace doing whatever it takes to win for the team."
Since coming back from the calf strain that kept him out for seven games, the 27-year-old has seen his minutes per game shrink to just 22.9.
Although it's an adjustment, JJ Redick and the Lakers seem to be figuring it out, winning three of their last four.
Playing time could be even more difficult to come by once Austin Reaves returns sometime in LA's eight-game road trip, but it's relieving to hear that Rui Hachimura is still committed to his team.
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