Rui Hachimura publicly makes one major demand from Lakers’ front office 

LA Lakers forward Rui Hachimura made his thoughts clear on what the team needed going into the 2025-26 season. The 27-year-old was one of the bright spots in the team’s disappointing and season-ending 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.

Speaking to the media after the torrid defeat, Hachimura spoke of the lack of size that hurt the Purple and Gold. He stressed the need to get a player who can bag rebounds as the center-less Lakers struggled on that aspect throughout the series.

“When asked what the Lakers need in order to have their playoff performance to match up to their own expectations, Rui Hachimura says: “We couldn’t get rebounds. We need somebody to get rebounds”

The LA Lakers lost a bonafide big in Anthony Davis as part of the Luka Doncic trade. They rescinded the trade for center Mark Williams over his ‘failed physical’. Jaxson Hayes fell out of the rotation, while Maxi Kleber played one game which was the all-important Game 5 after losing a major chunk of the season to a knee injury.

Rui Hachimura has had a solid season by all accounts. He ended Game 5 with 23 points on 9-16 shooting from the field and 5-8 from the deep. He also recorded four rebounds and a block. His season averages saw him prop up 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.

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Aharon Abhishek is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda, bringing 9 years of rich reporting experience to his role. With a Master’s degree in Journalism, Aharon’s passion for basketball dates back to 2008 when he began following the NBA closely. He specializes in stat-based pieces and athlete profiles, and is a firm believer of conducting thorough research to craft compelling content.

A fan of the Lakers and Bulls for their legacy and rich history, Aharon admires the competitive nature of basketball and how only a few seconds decide any game. He highly regards Kobe Bryant and LeBron James for their prowess on the court.

Phil Jackson stands out as Aharon’s favorite basketball coach, revered for his astute understanding of the game. For him, Michael Jordan’s final shot of his legendary career stands out as his favorite basketball moment of all time.

When not catching up with basketball, Aharon enjoys playing Cricket, reading and exploring different types of coffee.

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Edited by Aharon Abhishek