Hachimura, who is improving year by year, is not only the backbone of the Lakers, but also an example for young Chinese players to learn from.

Since 2023, domestic Lakers fans have actually had mixed emotions. Because there is a Japanese in the team that I have supported for a long time, and he has been playing here for three years.

Not only received a three-year contract extension worth 51 million yuan, but he also gradually took control of the team's starting forward position.

Whether the coach is Ham or Redick, or the core of the team is Zhan Mei or Zhan Dongli, they all seem to be willing to trust this Asian forward with a black body, an oriental face, a tall figure, and delicate shooting skills.

Looking at the difficulties faced by domestic young people in going to the United States to work hard, looking back at the glory days of Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, and then looking at Hachimura now wearing the purple and gold jersey, people have mixed feelings.

It can be said that the deal in 2023 saved Hachimura.

At that time, the Wizards' main No. 4 position was already controlled by Kuzma, who was sent by the Lakers. Hachimura's rotation order had even been ranked behind junior Avdija.

What’s worse is that because of the flag bearer controversy at the Tokyo Olympics (the Japanese are also unable to accept a mixed-race black man as the national flag bearer for the local Olympics) and his poor performance in the men’s basketball game, he was once scolded to the point of being autistic and needing help from a doctor.

In the 2021-22 season after the Tokyo Olympics, he only played 42 games. Although the team found various reasons for his absence to avoid the public opinion storm, he was almost "humanely exterminated" by Japanese netizens on social media.

Even if he returns in the 22-23 season, he will not have a main position. It seems that the Asian rookie with the highest draft pick after Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian is about to retire from the NBA stage.

Then the Lakers brought him in with Nunn + three rotations. He brought much-needed athletic talent and frontcourt muscles to the team, and his wide shooting ability can also better open up space for James.

At that time, he and Vanderbilt rotated the fourth position on offense and defense, which made the Lakers much tougher than before, and only then did they recover in the second half.

In the first round of the playoffs against the Grizzlies G1, he scored 29 points on 5 of 6 three-pointers. Throughout the playoffs, he averaged 12.2 points per game and shot 48.2% from three-point range. Although he lost to the Nuggets in the end, he was already one of the most important rotations for the Lakers.

After Redick arrived, he became the main force of the team. Last season, he played in 59 games and started 57 games. His average of 31.7 minutes per game was second only to Zhan Dongli.

He has many shortcomings, such as high offensive efficiency but low production. He seems to have an elite 40% three-point shooting rate for many years, but his career average has never exceeded 2.0 in a single game.

His defensive awareness is weak and he does not have a strong body. However, except for his good performance against Teacher Yue in the 2024 playoffs, he still needs the help and guidance of others more often.

Especially after Big Eyebrow left, the Lakers lacked the last gate. With Zhan Dongli not even considered a strong defensive player, Hachimura became even more abrupt on the defensive end.

But he also has his own advantages.

Among the younger generation of black forwards, he is a rare mid-range killer. In the past two years with the Lakers, he has spread his shooting range beyond the three-point line.

When he was with the Wizards, he averaged 10.7 shots per game and 2.5 three-pointers. With the Lakers, he averaged 9.5 shots and 3.5 three-pointers per game.

This season, he has reached 3.9/10.4, with 37.5% of his three-point shots and a 48% shooting percentage.

When he was at Gonzaga University and Japan's national teams at all levels, he was a battering ram with both internal and external skills, focusing on the mid-range.

Once won the U17 World Championship scoring champion, as well as the All-American team in college, the Julius Erving Award (Best Small Forward), and the best player in the WCC Division.

But after coming to the NBA, he recognized the gap between himself and top talents, overcame many hardships and harsh criticism, and finally became the starting main force of a wealthy team like the Lakers, and is already a proper 20 million-level forward.

Looking back on Bacun’s growth and career, it actually has great inspiration for young people in China.

He once performed well in the World Youth Championship, but he knew that Japan's domestic level was limited, so he traveled across the ocean to study in the United States when he was in college.

Our Zhou Qi was actually very popular in the World Youth Championship. He was once praised as "beating Jokic" (actually he didn't), but in the end he struggled to even get out.

When he really came out in 2017, he was already 21 years old. He missed the finalization period when his technical ability develops the fastest. He eventually grew from an all-round inside player who was expected to be omnipotent to an inside coolie with CBA characteristics. After two years in the NBA and achieving nothing, he returned home sadly.

During his college years, Hachimura chose Gonzaga University, which favored international players and trained Sabonis Jr. (Lithuania), Olynyk (Canada), and later Nembhard (Canada) and Petrushev (Serbia).

He spent three years here, strengthening his body and basic skills, and made a name for himself in the NCAA before participating in the 2019 draft and being selected by the Washington Wizards with the ninth overall pick in the first round.

In 2022, Zeng Fanbo, who was widely optimistic at the time, rejected his application to Gonzaga University.

In order to catch up with the fast lane to enter the NBA, he eagerly chose the now notorious Ignite team (the NBA is a team formed in the Development League specifically for young people who are unwilling to participate in the NCAA). As a result, he could not get the solid basic skills training of American basketball here, and he did not have stable playing time and tactical positioning. He was ultimately defeated and returned to the CBA in despair.

As can be seen in this year's Macau game, he has been stagnant at the CBA level in the past two years, and he has been far behind the young people of the same period. Even if he joins the national team in the future, he will only be a blue-collar worker relying on his body and playing skills..

Hachimura was "hunted online" by Japanese fans when he was with the Wizards, just like Yang Hansen has been subjected to various baseless and specious attacks during this period.

The starting point of those who attack them is not their love for them or concern for the development of basketball in their country. It is more that the depression and hostility in life cannot be resolved. They set up moral arches online to be strict with others, so as to find some sense of existence and virtual comfort for themselves.

Hachimura has the Lakers' rescue and his own persistence in adversity. Yang Hansen, who is also a first-round pick, hopes to strengthen himself and polish himself in the adverse current, instead of being knocked down by online comments.

Here, I am not using Hachimura, who is also a small sample exception in Japan, to belittle Chinese young people who have worked hard overseas.

But to tell everyone who cares about Chinese basketball, Hachimura’s career trajectory is actually a good example for young Chinese players.

His current success is precisely because he made many correct choices at the critical stage of his career. With extra persistence, he has reached his current height. However, the young Chinese players in the past have more or less taken detours and wrong paths.

Nowadays, the new generation of Chinese men’s basketball team has many encouraging signs for us.

Wang Junjie, who shined in the Asian Cup this year, did not take advantage of the popularity to return to China to cash in. Instead, he quietly packed up and returned to the University of San Francisco to start his third NCAA season.

This forward who has already reached the top level in Asia is not satisfied with his current height. He is still polishing himself to pursue a higher level.

Lin Wei, who has become the local scoring champion in the CBA, also crossed the Pacific to join the University of Oregon. He is not satisfied with making a lot of money at home, but to polish himself into a stronger self.

Zhao Weilun, who had high hopes, also gave up the Internet Celebrity League OTE and chose to join the University of San Francisco to become Wang Junjie's teammate. Only with his style of guard polished by orthodox American basketball can he continue to grow rapidly.

There are also young people such as Dan Houran (Seattle University) and Xiu Sinan (currently in high school in the United States, choosing schools in the second half of the year) who are no longer satisfied with wasting their talents in the domestic CBA and have become Internet celebrity basketball players. They have chosen to polish their skills overseas and pursue higher basketball achievements.

I hope that the next generation of Chinese basketball will become eagles who stand high and look far, setting their sights on the world and the highest stage of NBA and Fiba.

That was the moment for Chinese basketball to take off again. As long as they were determined, what could the Chinese do wrong?