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Lakers News: Rui Hachimura Makes Decision On Summer World Cup Appearance For Japan

Hachimura may want to focus on his new contract in the NBA.

Matt Levine

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Rui Hachimura is about to enter restricted free agency after a strong showing in the postseason with the Lakers this past season. The young forward is expected to get himself a nice new contract and many do expect him to be back with Los Angeles when the dust settles. As free agency gets closer, Hachimura has made a decision regarding his status playing for his home county of Japan in this year's World Cup.

It has been reported that Hachimura would not be playing for Japan this year as he wants to focus strictly on the upcoming NBA season for wherever he ends up playing. 

This was a hard decision to Hachimura but the want to focus on the upcoming NBA season makes sense. While fans may have been hoping to see him play for Japan, Hachimura did apologize to them after making his decision.

He is entering into a critical part of his career and getting better is the name of the game. Hachimura got a taste of success in the NBA playoffs and likely want to build off that. 

During the limited time with the Lakers last season, Hachimura averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds over 33 games. But his postseason play showed more of what he is capable of. He averaged 12.2 points per game and shot 48.7 percent from three during the postseason. Hachimura played his best basketball when the lights were brightest and will be rewarded this summer. 

Hachimura was a critical piece for the Lakers during their run to the Western Conference Finals. If he remains with the Lakers, he will be relied upon heavily again as he tries to help LeBron James and Anthony Davis get back to the mountain top. He enjoyed his time with the Lakers but nothing is guaranteed so it'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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