LeBron James and Anthony Davis aren’t the only Los Angeles Lakers players playing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris as Rui Hachimura is set to suit up for his native Japan.
Hachimura is coming off a career year for the Lakers in which he averaged 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 42.2% from 3-point range on 3.4 attempts per game.
The Japanese National Team has a lot of quality talent on it, but there’s no doubt they are happy to have Hachimura for the upcoming Olympics as he is their most accomplished player and in the prime of his career.
He showed what he is capable of on Friday when Japan took on Germany in an exhibition game in Berlin to get ready for the Olympics. Even though Germany beat Japan 104-83, Hachimura still scored in a variety of ways to lead his team with 19 points:
Rui Hachimura today vs Germany
19 Points
5 Rebounds
2 Assists
6/13 FG
25 Minutes pic.twitter.com/ARzZwokQ2o— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) July 20, 2024
Hachimura definitely looks ready to go for the Olympics after scoring 19 points and knocking down two of his five 3-point attempts. A successful run for him and Japan this summer could go a long way in giving him the confidence to improve even more for the Lakers ion 2024-25.
Meanwhile for Germany, Orlando Magic star Franz Wagner led all scorers with 27 points while former Lakers guard Dennis Schroder had 12 points and four assists. After winning the FIBA World Cup last summer, the German team looks primed to make a deep Olympic run and could be Team USA’s biggest competition for the gold.
Japan and Germany will meet again to kick off Group B play in the Olympics on Saturday, July 27. Considering Japan was blown out in this exhibition game, Hachimura may need to be even more aggressive looking to score when they match up in the Olympics.
Rui Hachmura excited to play for Team Japan in 2024 Olympics
While it wasn’t clear at first whether Rui Hachimura would play for Team Japan in the 2024 Olympics, he eventually committed and expressed his excitement to play for his home country.
“I’m happy to be back at the National Training Center again,” he said, before joining his teammates. Hachimura, who watched the Japan national team compete in last year’s FIBA World Cup, said, “I think Head Coach Hovasse’s basketball style suits me very well. I’m looking forward to it because it’s a style that allows me to play fast breaks and shows off my all-round play.”
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