Darvin Ham says he’s challenged Rui Hachimura to improve as rebounder

Darvin Ham has challenged Rui Hachimura to be better as a rebounder for the Lakers and he’s answering the call this March.

One reason Rui Hachimura has been a good starter for the Lakers is that he's a great bucket-getter, provides good size and works well with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

One of his weaknesses has been his rebounding, where many feel he should get more than the 4.1 rebounds per game he averages given his 6'8 size.

Darvin Ham has been discussing this with Hachimura all season and brought it up postgame following the Lakers' victory over the Grizzlies.

"I've been on him all year about rebounding more, being active on the glass, being an active defender and not leaking out," Ham said. "He has a tendency to want to take off running and assume someone else is going to get the defensive rebound. It stops him from participating. To his credit, he's heard us loud and clear. I'm not the only one telling him this. His teammates, other coaches are all delivering the same message and he's responding well to it."

The progress has really shown in the past two games. Rui Hachimura had a career-high 14 rebounds against the Bucks and followed that performance up with 10 boards against Memphis. It marked the first time in his career he had double-digit rebounds in consecutive games.

We must remember that Rui Hachimura is still a young player who is adding to his game. He's in his fifth NBA season and is far from a finished product. He can relate more to younger players trying to figure it all out, like Austin Reaves and Max Christie, than he does with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Rebounding the ball better and not being a defensive liability are two areas that, if he can get better at, will raise his potential as a player.

Hachimura has shown a willingness to improve by working with Phil Handy immediately after arriving with the Lakers last season. The payoff was evident as his scoring has jumped from 9.1 last year as a Laker to 13.1 this season.

His improvement also raises this team's potential. With Hachimura starting this season, the Lakers are 20-10. If he can continue to improve, the Lakers will only become that much more lethal as they enter this final stretch of regular season games.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.