Overview
- Hachimura signed a multi-year deal this offseason to leave the Lakers and join the Los Angeles Clippers as a featured part of their frontcourt rotation.
- Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said the team can use Hachimura in multiple ways and has set a concrete goal of increasing his rebounds to about eight per game to boost the team’s interior presence.
- Hachimura told reporters he wants to show more of his full skillset, saying he has been asked to be more aggressive and to use his playmaking when defenses help on him.
- Increased responsibilities have come quickly because the Clippers began the season short-handed with several expected ball-handlers unavailable, and through three games Hachimura has shot 30 percent overall while making roughly 38.5 percent of his three-point attempts on about 6.5 tries per game.
- Hachimura arrives with a strong efficiency track record from the past three seasons and says the Clippers give him a better chance to expand his role than his time in the higher-pressure Lakers market, a shift that could change how he is viewed in Los Angeles.