Lebron James thought they need some change after their loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Among those he looked for was effort and aggressiveness. The Los Angeles Lakers returned to the court on Saturday and looks like they responded. One of those James want to highlight is Rui Hachimura.
James said post game that he and the Japanese forward had some personal talks the night before their game against the Dallas Mavericks.
“I told him some of the shots that he missed in the fourth quarter against the Clippers, I needed him to make tonight. I was getting on him last night at our dinner,” the four-time MVP told reporters as posted by Khobi Price of California Post.
“So, he definitely did that. Big-time player, for sure.”
LeBron James on Rui Hachimura’s late 3-pointers that helped the Lakers ahead of the Mavericks en route to their eventual victory in Dallas, as well as Rui’s rebounding/defense tonight: “I told him some of the shots that he missed in the fourth quarter against the Clippers, I… pic.twitter.com/LE9ZHUulhn
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) January 25, 2026
Hachimura finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. He scored 7 straight points late in the fourth, including a 3-pointer that put them in the driver’s seat with around 2 minutes to go.
The Lakers #1 3pt Shooter on the Season (the ONLY Laker shooting 40% from 3):
Rui Hachimura.
• 42.7% 3fg (Career-High)
• 1.8 3pm (Career-High)
• #13 in the entire NBA in 3fg%The Samurai Sniper 🥷 🎯 🎯 🎯 pic.twitter.com/IQAeadkzOs
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) January 25, 2026
Lakers won against the Mavs through a fourth quarter comeback.
Lebron James appears satisfied with roster
The trade deadline is approaching and James is among those who is expected to have say about their roster construction. He just praised Hachimura and then talked about Luka Doncic’s improving play, defense, and comfort level with the team.
Will the Lakers make a move? James refuses to deal with that. He said it is not right for him to comment on the roster knowing that their situation is not anybody’s fault.
“We’re missing our All-Star two-guard. We haven’t been whole pretty much all year. We’re starting to get a little rhythm, but we haven’t had a full roster all year pretty much. Our All-Star two-guard has been out, we’re hopeful to get him back soon, I seen another report that possibly he may come back during the trip,” he said.
“It’s disrespectful to these guys if I start talking about the deadline and what we need to do, we gotta get better, whatever the case may be. I try not to play fantasy basketball too much.”
The All-Star two guard he is talking about is Austin Reaves who hasn’t played a game since December 25. He is having a career season at 26 points per game but it was derailed by a Grade 2 left calf strain during Christmas Day.
Redick said the 27-year-old guard is set to make full-contact session and could return at any point of their 8-game road trip.
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