There is still one year and $18 million left on the contract! The Lakers are running out of time for him to prove?

In five NBA preseason games, Jack Laravia averaged 7.2 points per game and shot 36.8% from the field. Not to mention the defensive end, the offensive end did not show the true qualities of a pitcher. Judging from the visual experience of the game, it is more like a replica of Knecht - if you attack, you can't score; if you defend, you can't defend it.

Although his performance is very average, what is good for the Lakers is that Laravia has a two-year contract and the amount is only 12 million US dollars. In other words, even if the Lakers are acclimatized for a long time, they will still not suffer a loss. What I mean is that the annual salary of the contract is short and the amount is not large.

At the same time, it’s still preseason. Hachimura has many "famous scenes" in which he scored 16 points and 19 points respectively on 6 of 10 shots against the Warriors and Kings.

How should we understand Hachimura?

In my opinion, the Lakers don’t have much time left for him to prove.

The current situation of the team

Judging from the preseason games against the Warriors and Suns, the Lakers still lack defensive leaders like Caruso and Derrick White. Of course, every team lacks such high-quality "3D" players.

From a reinforcement perspective, the Lakers still have needs. Of course, if there is a need for reinforcement, chips must be involved. At this time, Rui Hachimura is a good bargaining chip.

1. There is still a one-year, $18 million contract, and Pelinka has not shown any willingness to renew the contract;

2. In 337 games so far in his NBA career, Hachimura has averaged 12.8 points per game.

To sum up the above two points, Hachimura is still cost-effective, especially if it is an expired contract. The team needs reinforcements and Hachimura is relatively cost-effective. This is one of them.

Tactical Position

What is impressive about Hachimura?

Obviously, he is a mid-range shooter. According to statistics, his career shot percentage so far is 13.2%, and his shooting percentage is 44.8%. In short, mid-range shooting is one of the main finishing methods and is very efficient. For comparison, DeRozan's career field goal percentage is 45.6%.

We all know that this summer Pelinka signed Deandre Ayton for 2 years and $16.6 million.

So far in his career, Ayton has taken 19.4% of his mid-range shots and his field goal percentage is 46.0%. In other words, it is better than Hachimura in both mid-range output and quality. Potentially, Ayton's arrival will reduce Hachimura's tactical status. What I mean:

If Rui Hachimura can do the mid-range shot, Ayton can also do it. In other words, even if the former leaves the team, the gap in mid-range shooting can be easily replaced by the latter. The decline in tactical status is the second one.

To sum up, it is said that the Lakers do not have much time left for Hachimura to prove, which mainly reflects two points:

1. The team has a need for reinforcements and the price/performance ratio is good;

2. The tactical status has declined.

Relatively speaking, I think the second point is the main reason.

If Ayton does not have a stable mid-range shot, then even if the team needs reinforcements, it will not easily trade Hachimura. After all, once the former leaves the team, there will be a lack of space, which has a sense of "tearing down the east wall to make up for the west wall".

But things are different now. On the offensive end, except for three-pointers, Ayton can do what Hachimura can do or even better. As a result, the former's tactical status has declined, and it is suitable to use it for reinforcement.

Finally, if Hachimura cannot play an indispensable role in the short term, I believe Pelinka will trade him to strengthen.