The Los Angeles Lakers must upgrade their roster before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, and Rui Hachimura is playing his way off the team. Since LeBron’s return from injury, Hachimura has averaged 9.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 30.9 minutes per game. He starts, but disappears for long stretches of the game. The 6’8 forward has been held scoreless twice in 13 contests, and the Lakers are atrocious when he shares the floor with King James.
Los Angeles has a negative-1.4 net rating with Rui on the floor this season, and the Lakers are 2.4 points per 100 possessions better without him, but those numbers get even worse since LeBron returned.