Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura has had an up-and-down season. His playing time and output have changed a lot because of injuries and the fact that teams are always changing around him.

That being said, he had one of his best games of the season on Saturday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and LeBron James noticed.

In 30 minutes, Hachimura scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds while hitting 8 of 14 shots. The win ended the Lakers’ four-game losing streak and gave them a good way to end a tough road trip. That was Hachimura’s second straight good game. On Thursday, he scored 18 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves while LeBron wasn’t available.

Through Spectrum SportsNet, James talked about Hachimura’s hard work and why it’s important to see him step up in a game like that. James finished the night with 40 points in a dominant hero performance.

“It was huge.” He did a great job for us tonight. The amount of time he plays has been up and down, as you said, but tonight his minutes were steady, and he made plays for us offensively and grabbed some important boards.

The Lakers have more wings this season than last, but Hachimura is still an important part of the team because he can play both forward and backward. He might be the Lakers’ best wing scorer besides James, and he can also play defense well.

Hachimura was very important for L.A. in the playoffs. He’s had trouble with an inconsistent role and production, but he has everything he needs to be a regular contributor for the Lakers when it means most. Early in the season, he was also slowed down by injuries, but he is now fit and back on track.

Now, all he has to do is put together a string of good games to solidify his spot in Darvin Ham’s always-changing roles.