Last season, Rui Hachimura re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a three-year, $51 million contract. The Lakers had high expectations for the veteran forward, hoping his athleticism would justify the contract. However, Hachimura struggled to live up to those hopes, leading to some criticism.
Former NBA star Patrick Beverley didn’t hold back his thoughts on Hachimura’s performance during the latest episode of The Pat Bev Podcast. Beverley argued that Hachimura should be playing like the team’s “second option,” given his contract.
“Rui is a good basketball player. But he’s not the X-factor to me. He should be the X-factor because he gets paid as the X-factor, he needs to do more. He has to come in like, ‘I’m the second option,’” Beverley said.
“His mindset needs to be like, ‘It’s AD here, it’s LeBron here, it’s Austin Reaves here, it’s D. Lo here. But AD getting it, I’m the second option,” he added.
Beverley’s comments quickly sparked a debate among NBA fans on social media. Many fans backed his claim, agreeing that Hachimura needs to step up and play at a higher level to match the expectations tied to his contract.
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On the other hand, some fans criticized Beverley’s take. They questioned the former NBA player’s decision to give advice to Hachimura due to Beverly’s lackluster NBA career.
Patrick Beverley Compares Rui Hachimura to Kyle Kuzma
Patrick Beverley continued his critique of Rui Hachimura on his podcast, this time comparing him to former Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma. Beverley, who recently shared advice for the Miami Heat, pointed out how important Kuzma was during the Lakers’ successful run in the 2020 NBA Bubble to urge Hachimura to play like Kuzma.
“What made them successful that Bubble Year, Kyle Kuzma? A wing with size that can put the ball on the floor, and people used to clown Kuzma because he used to take some tough shots, but you need some balls like that,” Beverly said.
“Because the same shot you take in the regular season that looks tough is the same shot you go take at the end of the game,” he added.
Hachimura is coming off a season where he averaged 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. How he takes Beverley’s advice and improves his play will remain to be seen.
