Lakers Rumors: Rui Hachimura Expected to Be Starter After Christian Wood's Contract

Despite the signing of Christian Wood this week, Rui Hachimura is reportedly expected to start in the Los Angeles Lakers' frontcourt during the 2023-24 season.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the current indication is that Hachimura will start alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James, while Wood will primarily come off the bench and play around 20 minutes per game.

After going unsigned in the initial few waves of free agency, Wood agreed to a two-year, $5.7 million contract with the Lakers on Tuesday. Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal includes a player option for the 2024-25 season.

Hachimura, 25, was originally the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards, but he was traded to the Lakers last season after spending parts of four campaigns in Washington.

Following the trade, Hachimura appeared in 33 regular-season games for the Lakers, starting nine of them. He also averaged 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game, while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Hachimura was even better during the Lakers' playoff run, which saw them reach the Western Conference Finals.

In 16 postseason games, Hachimura averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 three-pointers made in 24.3 minutes per contest.

Hachimura had four games of 20 or more points during the playoffs, most notably exploding for 29 points and six rebounds in a 16-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their first-round series.

While the Lakers will go as James and Davis do next season, Hachimura showed himself to be an important secondary scorer last season in the same vein as Austin Reaves.

Of course, the 27-year-old Wood also has the ability to fill that role after averaging 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 67 games with the Dallas Mavericks last season.

Wood also spent the previous two seasons with the Houston Rockets, and over the past three seasons combined, he boasts averages of 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 blocks.

The Mavs seemingly traded for him in hopes that he would be the second star they needed alongside Luka Dončić, and although that did not come to fruition, he was a solid contributor nonetheless.

Even if the Lakers don't plan on starting Wood regularly, he bolsters their frontcourt depth significantly, joining the likes of Davis, Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes and Taurean Prince.

Keeping AD fresh and healthy has been an issue in recent years, but the Lakers may finally have a roster capable of taking some of the pressure off of him.

Both Hachimura and Wood figure to be hugely important members of the operation next season for a Lakers team that is considered a strong contender to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.