On December 24th (local date: 23rd), Rui Hachimura of the Los Angeles Lakers, who came on as a substitute in the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, responded to media interviews after the game.
Hachimura recorded 21 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in his team’s 129-120 win.
Below is Hachimura’s Q&A after the match (the first half is a translation of the Q&A in English, the second half is a Q&A in Japanese. The questions are summarized).
I tried to play aggressively both offensively and defensively.
— Durbin (Ham head coach) talked about the quick attacks to the rim and aggressive defense that he’s shown in the last two games, but what are you doing to get back into rhythm after being plagued by injuries in recent weeks? Did you feel that?
Hachimura:I tried to play aggressively both offensively and defensively. Let’s start with defense first. The opponent is a team with excellent offense and some players are good at one-on-one play. That’s why I watched a lot of film and prepared well in advance during this morning’s shootaround, which I think helped the team and me find a rhythm.
——You were doing pretty well in the first half, but was it difficult to get into a rhythm right away after halftime?
Hachimura:Of course it’s difficult. But that’s my job. That’s what the team wants, and it’s my job to do it. It’s a challenge, but it’s also part of the game. Last season, they found their rhythm with the same rotation in the playoffs. It’s tough, but we just need to play aggressively on both offense and defense and do what we need to do.
There is no doubt that Chet Holmgren’s presence spurred the dunk.
–He was aggressively attacking the rim today, but (late in the third quarter) he attempted two dunks in a short period of time, and there was one dunk that went through a defender and missed.
Hachimura:That was crazy. I looked at the film after the game and thought I should have dunked with my right hand. Anyway, I tried to be aggressive. Chet (Holmgren) is a great rim protector, so if I was going for a layup I thought it would be blocked and I went for a dunk. I think I was fouled (laughs).
–Did Holmgren’s presence spur your desire to dunk?
Hachimura:That’s definitely true. He’s a good shot blocker, so I decided to dunk him.
We have to concentrate in the next match and find a rhythm.
–AD (Anthony Davis) said today was a must-win game. How will they accept the victory in that important match and how will they maintain it?
Hachimura:After the in-season tournament, we were having a bit of a hard time due to the game schedule and traveling. We all talked about it after the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. As AD said, we absolutely have to win the next game.
Everyone was very focused during this morning’s shootaround, and I think that’s why we were able to win. We need to keep going like this and get into a rhythm.The next Christmas game against the (Boston) Celtics is also important, so we need to concentrate and play like we did today and get into a rhythm.
I’m really looking forward to playing the Christmas game.
——About being able to participate in the Christmas game.
Hachimura:I didn’t have that opportunity with the (Washington) Wizards, so it’s already been decided that I’ll be able to play in the Christmas game with the Lakers, so I’m really looking forward to playing in the next game.
–You scored 16 points in the first quarter today, how did you start the game?
Hachimura:I think I put it in a good way. I think it was good because we tried to be aggressive and were able to continue the momentum from the previous match.
——There was a scene where you took off your mask when taking free throws.
Hachimura:I missed a lot of free throws in the previous game, so I talked to the coaching staff and they decided it would be a good idea to take off my mask. The first one was OK, but the second one I was told to wear it by the referee.
–Having struggled to win since the in-season tournament, have you learned anything from LeBron and others in terms of mental health?
Hachimura:Every game is important, but the season is long, so I learned from him that it is also important to find a rhythm as a team. No matter if you lose or win a match, there’s always another match, so I think it’s important to switch things up.
Materials collected and composed of questions and answers: YOKO B
The Lakers’ next game will be a Christmas game against the Boston Celtics on December 26th at 7am (local time on the 25th) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
2023-12-24 08:37:53
#Rui #Hachimura #doubt #Holmgrens #presence #spurred #desire #dunk #Postgame #December #24th #Local #23rd #Sporting #News #Japan
