Lakers Director: We are very confident in Hachimura, but I won t talk about his contract renewal publicly

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick and team's basketball operations director Robert Pelinka were interviewed by the media during training camp, and they also talked about the team's forward star Rui Hachimura.

Redick said: I would describe Hachimura Shizuo in this way. Every day with him is full of a pleasant atmosphere, and this happiness exists almost every moment. What I've seen over the past few weeks is that he has become more confident. You still need to think of him as a young player. I think he still has a lot of potential to explore and he still has a lot of room for improvement. Pelinka was asked about whether she was negotiating a contract renewal with Hachimura. Pelinka said: I think the most appropriate statement at the moment is that we are very confident in Hachimura. We think he will play an important role in the team and he will also perform well in the new season. Moreover, if the player's contract has not expired, we generally do not talk publicly about his contract renewal in the media, so I will put this aside for the time being.

In the NBA regular season last season, Hachimura played a total of 59 games due to injuries in 82 games, averaging 31.8 minutes per game, with averaging 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks, 0.9 turnovers and 1.8 fouls, with a shooting percentage of 49.2%, a three-point shooting percentage of 40.9%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 77.5%. In the playoffs, Hachimura made a total of 5 appearances, averaging 36.4 minutes per game, with averaging 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks. He also had 1.4 turnovers and 2.4 fouls. His shooting percentage was 49.1%, a three-point shooting percentage of 48.4%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 100%.

Hachimura Shizuo's overall performance last season was quite good. Whether in the regular season or in the playoffs, he was able to play good numbers with limited ball rights and tactical status, which also shows that his overall performance was quite good. The problem is that Hachimura's defensive ability is actually quite average, and there is almost no reliable defender in the Lakers' starting lineup, which also leads to the team's lineup appearing seriously deformed. On the other hand, Hachimura's excellent shooting ability and ball movement ability are indeed perfectly compatible with several major stars of the team. Therefore, the Lakers may also have some hesitation about Hachimura's contract renewal. I don’t know how the situation will develop next. Will Hachimura get a contract renewal from the Lakers?