Darvin Ham Drops Statement On Rui Hachimura After Lakers Lose To Bulls

LeBron James returned to game action sooner than expected and joined his teammates in the game against the Chicago Bulls. The Los Angeles Lakers lost the game and the clock started ticking faster than ever. LeBron’s return to the floor affected the entire team. Head coach Darvin Ham had to cut the playing time of some players and Rui Hachimura is one of them.

Ham had a reason to make this adjustment, but some fans can’t understand the whole point behind his calculations. LeBron missed games due to a serious foot injury. He wasn’t expected to return at this point. NBA analysts predicted a return at the end of the season. LeBron surprised a lot of people, including his teammates.

“I mean, it’s hard,” Ham said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “There aren’t enough minutes for everyone. Lonnie [Walker IV] has gone through that in the last several games. When you have a lot of good players, through no fault of their own, someone is going to be left out of the rotation. And tonight, it was Rui.”

LeBron James’ return affects the way Darvin Ham uses Rui Hachimura and other players

LeBron’s presence affects the playstyle in many ways. He has a unique style and the team rolls differently with him on the court. He was out for too long and Ham doesn’t have too much time to make big changes.

Hachimura didn’t play at all in the loss against the Bulls, but Troy Brown Jr. got the best of his playing time. He earned a starting role in the game and finished the night with 18 points.

Lakers players play under a great pressure at this point of the season and LeBron’s presence makes it even more challenging.

“I feel like there’s some good to it and some bad to it, honestly,” Brown said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Just it being so quick. You kind of go to get used to it. Obviously, he plays a certain way. He moves the ball a certain [way]. We were playing a certain style, and then he comes back, and we have to adjust. So, it’s good to have these next two days to figure it out and get it together. Obviously, we’re very happy to have him back. But there are some things where it was like, ‘Dang, if we just had a little bit more practice, it definitely would have helped us.’ But we’re definitely happy to have him back.”