JJ Redick Needs One Simple Rui Hachimura Adjustment to Unlock the Best Version of the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are rolling.

Second in the West. Seven straight wins. Luka Dončić playing MVP basketball. Austin Reaves exploding. Deandre Ayton anchoring the paint.

But even elite teams have weak spots — and one pairing is sticking out like a sore thumb.

That pairing?

Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton.

Both have been fantastic individually. Rui gives Luka the knockdown floor-spacing he needs, while Ayton has become everything the Lakers hoped for defensively and around the rim. Yet together? The numbers say the fit just isn’t there.

JJ Redick doesn’t need a major overhaul — just a smart adjustment.

❌ The Rui–Ayton Combo Isn’t Working

The sample size is already meaningful: 395 minutes across 16 games.

And the results are clear:

• Net Rating: –1.1
• Offensive Rating: 117.3 (solid)
• Defensive Rating: 118.4 (bad)

The offense survives, but the defense collapses. The two simply don’t complement each other on that end — and in a conference loaded with elite offenses, those gaps matter.

✔️ The Fix Is Easy: Split the Pair

Redick doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. He just needs to separate Rui and Ayton’s minutes and lean into their more successful combinations.

🔄 Better Pairings:

Rui Hachimura + Jaxson Hayes

• Net Rating: +2.4
• Offensive Rating: 114.3
• Defensive Rating: 111.9

This duo gels defensively and still keeps the offense afloat. Hayes brings verticality and rim protection that frees Rui to stay home on shooters.

Deandre Ayton + Jake LaRavia

• Defensive Rating: 115.0
• Offensive Rating: 112.7

Not perfect — but better defensively than Ayton–Rui, and LaRavia’s cutting, connective passing and floor spacing tend to open the floor more fluidly for Ayton.

🧮 What the Lakers Need More: Defense, Defense, Defense

The numbers tell the story:

• #5 offense in the NBA
• #17 defense

When you have Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James, the offense solves itself almost every night. But defense? That’s where championships are won.

Redick’s job now is balancing the rotation to lift that defensive rating without sacrificing offensive firepower.

And the easiest path forward is obvious:

👉 Play Rui with Hayes.

👉 Play Ayton with LaRavia.

👉 Keep Rui and Ayton apart.



🎯 The Bottom Line

The Lakers don’t need lineup surgery — they need lineup symmetry.

With one simple rotational tweak, JJ Redick can fix LA’s biggest statistical weakness and elevate this team from “contender” to title favorite.

And the best part?

It doesn’t cost the Lakers a single asset.