Rui Hachimura shouldn’t be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineup, and instead, JJ Redick should look to use Marcus Smart or Jarred Vanderbilt alongside the rest of the first five. Alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James, placing a point-of-attack defender like Smart would perfectly round things out, especially with how Hachimura has looked.
Despite his ideal size for the four spot, Hachimura hasn’t looked amazing on defense. And with Doncic and a 40-year-old James in the starting group, Redick needs to make sure he puts the best possible defenders around them. At this point, it could be a better idea to roll with Smart or Vanderbilt.