{"id":174536,"date":"2026-01-26T12:29:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=174536"},"modified":"2026-01-26T12:29:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:29:35","slug":"lakers-forward-opens-up-about-recent-role-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/01\/26\/lakers-forward-opens-up-about-recent-role-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Forward Opens Up About Recent Role Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lakers wing <\/span>Rui Hachimura<\/span><\/a> entered the new year in a new role. After missing seven games with a calf injury, he has played the last seven with the <\/span>second unit<\/span><\/a>, a welcome change in the eyes of fans and one Hachimura has embraced, according to a new interview.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lakers Forward Opens Up About Recent Role Change<\/b><\/h2>\n

Hachimura on Coming Off the Bench<\/b><\/h3>\n

In a <\/span>Monday morning story<\/span><\/a> by The Athletic\u2019s Dan Woike, Hachimura emphasized his desire to put winning above stats. He \u201c[doesn\u2019t] mind\u201d the change at all, even with free agency on the horizon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people think about stats and all that, but for me it\u2019s like winning. That\u2019s gonna help us to everybody get paid \u2026 And especially with this second unit, I get more touches too. \u2026 I don\u2019t mind. It\u2019s more so like, who\u2019s finishing the game? Or who\u2019s playing more? For me, that\u2019s more important.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In those seven appearances off the bench, Hachimura has <\/span>averaged<\/span><\/a> nearly ten points, three rebounds and an assist in 23 minutes per game. Saturday\u2019s win over Dallas marked his first game off of a minutes restriction. He delivered a solid 17-point, eight-rebound outing while nailing four of seven three-point attempts, including two clutch ones in the final frame<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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LeBron James on Rui Hachimura's late 3-pointers that helped the Lakers ahead of the Mavericks en route to their eventual victory in Dallas, as well as Rui's rebounding\/defense tonight: "I told him some of the shots that he missed in the fourth quarter against the Clippers, I\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/LE9ZHUulhn<\/a><\/p>\n

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) January 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n