Rui Hachimura is a lights-out shooter, the only one this year's Los Angeles Lakers truly employ. The need for that skill set is simple and obvious. What does not fall under that same type of straightforwardness is what the Lakers do with him from here.
This should have been easy. To start the year, Hachimura was hitting his shots at a ridiculous rate from beyond the arc. That much isn't the issue. His current 46.0 percent on 5.5 3-point attempts per game is still impressive.
However, the Lakers need defense. That much has grown more painfully true as the 2025-26 season has progressed.