The Lakers’ offseason strategy raised eyebrows when they opted to avoid making any major trades, sticking with what is largely the same roster as last season. This left the franchise banking on new head coach JJ Redick to solve last season’s problems. It was a bold bet in an increasingly competitive Western Conference, especially given the team’s abundance of one-way players.

Yet despite these roster limitations, Redick has managed to get his players to embrace new roles – none more successfully than Rui Hachimura. In a recent postgame press conference, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers’ head coach praised Hachimura as the team’s most consistent player in executing the coaching staff’s vision:

“He’s responded to every challenge we’ve given him… He’s been our most consistent player just in terms of what we’ve asked him to do and then going out and executing it. He’s been a pleasure to coach. He’s been a pleasure to be around every day. And we really missed him when he was out.”

Redick highlighted Hachimura’s defensive growth, an area where the forward struggled last season:

“Even when you watch tape, even the stuff off the ball he does the right thing more often than not… He’s just like more consistent in terms of what we’re asking a guy to do, in terms of his role, his responsibilities, our system, our schemes. Does it without a complaint, like he’s awesome to coach.”

The 6’8″, 230-pound forward has shown improvement as a rebounder, averaging 5.5 boards per game – his best mark since his rookie year. While he still occasionally misses defensive assignments or fails to box out, his willingness to crash the offensive glass has given L.A. crucial second-chance opportunities.

With limited frontcourt options, Redick will need to continue leaning on Hachimura’s two-way contributions until the Lakers can add depth. Though the team has fallen from their early 3-0 start and six-game winning streak to a mediocre 13-12 record, Hachimura remains confident they can recapture that early-season form.