Rui Hachimura: In the NBA, we already live in our own bubble, right? The NBA is its own world—300 players, small group. But the Lakers? They have their own bubble inside that. We move differently.

Rui Hachimura: That same night, I got a call from my agent again. He said, ‘The Lakers want you.’ And I was like, ‘Lakers? What Lakers?’ Because I never even thought that I’d be a Laker.

Hachimura closed Wednesday's 131-119 loss to the Jazz with 19 points (8-15 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 0-1 FT), three rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes. Even with Luka Doncic and LeBron James in the lineup for the Lakers,