After three and a half seasons with the Lakers, Rui Hachimura signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the crosstown rival Clippers, making Los Angeles’ other team the third stop of his NBA career.

Along the way, Hachimura has quietly developed into one of the better three-point shooters in the league, posting a career mark of 39.4 percent that jumped to 41.5 percent across his 228 games with Los Angeles. He has been even sharper in the playoffs, shooting 51.6 percent on three-pointers in 41 career postseason games, and his final outing with the Lakers was a perfect showcase of that.

In Game 4 of Los Angeles’ second-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hachimura scored 25 points on 4 of 8 shooting from three, doing everything he could to keep Los Angeles alive down the stretch. He hit a pullup jumper that briefly gave the Lakers the lead, then answered a Thunder run with back-to-back threes–the second being an unassisted step-back off his own offensive rebound where he was fouled and completed the four-point play to bring the Lakers within two. 

It ultimately wasn’t enough, as Oklahoma City closed out the game, 115-110, but it was a reminder of just how potent the 28-year-old Hachimura can be when he is on.

Despite his strong showing to finish the season, the Lakers turned their attention to outside free agents such as Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes, and couldn’t meet the price the seven-year veteran Hachimura wanted. That opened the door for the Clippers, who plan to make him their full-time starting power forward.

That plan looks like a safe bet given his recent form with the Japanese national team. Playing in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, Hachimura led Japan to a 106-78 win over Saudi Arabia, scoring 29 points and opening the game by hitting his first six shots. He finished 11 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 3 from three-point range and 4 of 4 at the free-throw line, while adding four rebounds, two assists and three steals in just 28 minutes. He looked every bit the focal point of an offense built around him, and his improved defense stood out just as much, with his activity on that end matching his production on offense.

This two-way production–carrying an offense while making an effort defensively–is exactly what the Clippers are hoping to get from their new power forward. Hachimura has spent his career building toward a bigger role, and his recent form suggests he’s ready for it. All signs point to a big season ahead in Los Angeles, just with a different name on the front of his jersey this time.