Former Gonzaga Bulldogs star Rui Hachimura entered the NBA with plenty of eyes on him, a common theme for Consensus All-Americans and top-10 draft picks. He has carried a drastically different role in The Association, however, underwhelming with the Washington Wizards before becoming an offensively efficient starter for the Los Angeles Lakers (27-19). Hachimura returned to his old stomping grounds on Thursday.

The 26-year-old forward excelled versus the dreadful Wizards (6-41), dropping 22 points while shooting a stellar 9-of-12 from the floor and 4-of-5 from 3-point land. He also recorded four rebounds, one block and one steal in the Lakers' 134-96 runaway win in Capital One Arena.

Hachimura's fruitful outing is exactly what LA needs if it is going to stay hot. This group often struggles to attain consistency, but perhaps it is turning a corner during this latest stretch (won five of last six). When secondary scoring options like Hachimura produce, the Lakers look the part of a genuine threat. His ex-Wizards head coach and current Los Angeles assistant has a different perspective following the strong performance.

“Should've played like that when I had him here!” 2010 NBA Coach of the Year Scott Brooks joked during the postgame press conference, per Dan Woike of the LA Times. Too soon?

Can Rui Hachimura keep it rolling for Lakers?

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Hachimura and Brooks suffered through much losing in their two years together, with the Wizards earning a 59-85 record from 2019-21. The latter has watched the former greatly extend his shooting range and evolve into a trustworthy floor-spacer. He has plenty to lament from his Washington tenure, but Brooks can take satisfaction from watching Hachimura sizzle from time to time.

Although the Japanese-born athlete's numbers have dipped a little following a career 2023-24 campaign, he is still averaging 12.2 points per game on 40.9 percent 3-point shooting this season. Though, Hachimura might have to step up in light of recent developments.

While Anthony Davis recovers from his abdominal injury, which carries a seven-to-10-day recovery timetable, there will be more scoring opportunities for other players. Rui Hachimura is one of the guys who will be trusted to deliver in the two-way star's absence. Conquering the last-place Wizards is not enough.

The Lakers are hoping he can maintain momentum for Saturday night's road game versus the streaking New York Knicks (32-16). The action commences at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.