Rui Hachimura Reacts to Strong Preseason Debut vs. Warriors

The Los Angeles Clippers have begun their 2026 preseason campaign and faced off against the Golden State Warriors on October 4th. Los Angeles won 104-101 thanks to a late go-ahead shot from rookie Keaton Wagler. 

While that was the highlight of the game, one player who had a very strong showing for the Clippers was forward Rui Hachimura, who was signed this summer in free agency. Hachimura finished with 21 points on 8-11 shooting in 15 minutes. He also shot 4-for-5 from three-point range. 

After the game, he was asked about his performance, to which he gave a very straightforward answer. "This is what I do." 

He also talked about how comfortable he is playing with his new squad, and he believes his experience has made it easier to assimilate into a new team. 

"It's experience you know, I've been with two or three different teams. This is my eighth year. I've been in the playoff many times. It's experience... Just been communicating with [Ty] a lot, especially this whole camp. That's important. I like to learn from him," Hachimura said. 

Hachimura being this confident with the Clippers early could bode well for their success next season. This is a team that is battling through some injury problems and will be without Brandon Ingram and Max Strus for an extended period of time, so they will need Hachimura to continue to play at a high level. 

The experience does play a big role, and the pairing of head coach Tyronn Lue with Rui Hachimura makes sense. Both have a good amount of playoff experience up to this point in their careers, including an NBA Championship for Lue. 

If Hachimura can continue to step up and be a leader on this team on the court, that will do the Clippers a lot of favors. With the Lakers, he had similar games like these where he could score in a hurry. 

His three-point shooting was a strength, especially last season when he shot over 40 percent from long range. He was a reliable piece off the bench for the Lakers, and with the injury bug hitting the Clippers, it leaves him with more opportunities to continue that success. 

This Clippers team is full of experienced players aside from Keaton Wagler, and it will be interesting to see how it far it can take them, especially without Strus or Ingram. Other young players like forward Baba Miller or guard Kobe Sanders may need to step up and be regular players in this rotation.