Rui Hachimura’s growing comfort in his role has started to show at the right time for the Los Angeles Lakers. Against the Dallas Mavericks, he drilled back-to-back three-pointers to spark the team’s biggest comeback win of the season. That confidence carried over Monday against the Chicago Bulls, where Hachimura again found gaps in the defense and made them pay, bringing attention from across the board.

On Monday, Rui came off the bench for the eighth consecutive time since returning from the injury. He burst out for 23 points in just 29 minutes, helping the Lakers to their second back-to-back win on the road. Given the way he has played in his new role, Lakers legend James Worthy had big words for the swingman.

“I think Rui has figured this out,” Worthy said in the post-game analysis on Spectrum SportsNet.

“I don’t have to be on the floor with LeBron, maybe not even Luka. ‘I’m the man when I come off the bench. All I need to go out and do is produce, be aggressive, and realize that I’m the captain of this bench now. And so when I come in, I get work done.”

In the first few games since his return from injury, Hachimura struggled to find his offensive rhythm. However, in the last three games, he has shown he could solve a lot of his team’s problems.

“And I think he’s figuring that out. He’s having fun doing it, too. I can just tell the way he’s moving, the way he’s always pumped up and cheering,” Worthy added.

Hachimura could be the player that JJ Redick has been searching for this season and prove to be the solution to the Lakers’ bench drought. In November and December, the Lakers were among the worst teams in bench scoring. However, in the last six games, since Hachimura has found his rhythm, the scoring has significantly improved.

“He’s taken it upon himself to lead this bench group and be the aggressor when he steps on that floor… And I think he probably prefers it. And I think, you know, JJ loves him in this position. This role for him has been great. He’s been super efficient,” former Laker Danny Green also supported starting Hachimura off the bench.

For the longest time this season, Laker fans have been demanding that Hachimura be off the bench. Now that he is thriving in his bench role, the Lakers star is also embracing his new role.

As JJ Redick finds hope in Rui Hachimura, the Lakers star came up with what he thinks about the mindset

In his last three seasons with the Lakers, Hachimura has averaged in double digits, while shooting over 50 percent from the field and over 40 percent from the 3-point line. It is beyond doubt that he is a starter on any team in the NBA. Since arriving in Los Angeles from Washington, he had to adjust his offense alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and now Luka Doncic. Despite those adjustments, his numbers have been consistent.

Now, as a sixth man, Hachimura is adjusting again, but he is finding joy in his new role. He doesn’t have to defer to LeBron or Doncic on offense. He is getting more touches, and he has capitalized on those opportunities.

“A lot of people think about stats and all that, but for me it’s like winning. That’s gonna help us to everybody get paid,” Hachimura told The Athletic after his clutch performance against the Mavericks. “… And especially with this second unit, I get more touches too. … I don’t mind. It’s more so like, who’s finishing the game? Or who’s playing more? For me, that’s more important.”

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Redick is also finding hope with Hachimura excelling in his new role.

“He’s easy,” he said of Hachimura. “He comes in…gets his work in. He bangs shots.”

While the Lakers’ head coach said that he hadn’t decided on his starting lineup, Hachimura provides a new solution. It would still be interesting to see if Redick brings Rui back in the starting lineup when Austin Reaves returns.