Reportedly, Rui Hachimura and LeBron James have been training together all summer. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka had said in a news conference that it was intentional that both would train together in the offseason. He even expressed the faith the management has in the Gonzaga kid. Apparently, LeBron James had said earlier in the 2022-23 season that Hachimura must realize his potential and try to get even better. Later, the former Washington Wizards forward played a crucial role in helping the 17-time champions reach the conference finals.
He played even better in the playoffs than in the regular season. The Gonzaga kid clearly impressed everybody as part of the Lakers Nation. They want the kid to do well for their franchise. But before the current preseason, Rui Hachimura talked to the media on the Laker’s Media Day. The Gonzaga kid expressed his gratitude toward LeBron James for everything he learned from him this offseason.
Rui Hachimura Appreciates LeBron James Helping His Game To Grow More
Rui Hachimura revealed that it was the assistant coach Phil Handy who pushed him to train with LeBron James. According to the Japanese player, Phil and LeBron had been working out together for a long time. Handy came to Hachimura and mentioned that working out with James might help his game out. At first, it was crucial for Rui Hachimura to adapt to LeBron’s schedule as the King had a lot of different things to do. The Japanese forward had a laugh, saying he would just follow James when he would be traveling. He said on the Media Day that he appreciates LeBron letting him work out with him.
They talked about basketball stuff and how to take care of the body, his weight, and similar kinds of stuff. Hachimura is grateful to Phil Handy for connecting them. He learned a lot from LeBron James this offseason. Now, how much these learnings can impact his game is something interesting for the Lakers Nation to wait and see. Recently, the Lakers beat the Brooklyn Nets in their second preseason game. They had lost the first one against the Golden State Warriors. Rui Hachimura scored the most points against the Nets.
Lakers Have A Lot Of Faith In The Gonzaga Kid
Recently, Darvin Ham and Rob Pelinka gave the Lakers Nation great news, saying Hachimura and James trained together in the offseason. It is great news because, in terms of shape and size, the King is a more appropriate training partner for Rui Hachimura. Moreover, the Lakers Nation is eager to know how much the training in the offseason helped the Gonzaga kid. The Lakers head coach mentioned LeBron James called Rui his “Understudy.”
Moreover, the all-time scoring leader even joked about Hachimura being his “Daniel-San” from the Hollywood Classic The Karate Kid. In that process, LeBron James called himself “Mr. Miyagi.” Anyway, it is great to see the four-time MVP sharing his knowledge from his immense experience with the young talents of the Lakers franchise. Even the Hillbilly Kobe, a.k.a, Austin Reaves, also looks up to the King in terms of his knowledge. The Lakers will hope to see both Reaves and Hachimura play for the team a long time and carry the legacy forward.
