Don’t look now, but the Lakers once again look like a dangerous playoff team.
After starting the year 25-25, the Lakers are 17-8 in their last 25 games. they are offensive number 3 in that section and have outscored their opponents by a solid 73 points.
What has caused this drastic reversal in fortune? Rui Hachimura was inserted back into the starting lineup, replacing Taurean Prince.
That was a measure that we had been asking for since November and that has paid immediate dividends. Hachimura is averaging 15.8 points and 4.7 rebounds on a stellar 58.5 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from three-point range in that span.
Los Angeles assembled the same starting lineup of Hachimura, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell from the Play-In Tournament to the Western Conference Finals last year. The Lakers are trying to do it again, and Hachimura could reprise his role as the team’s spark plug.
Rui Hachimura is legitimately a great shooter
Hachimura’s shooting was a big part of the Lakers’ playoff run last season. That was a bit surprising: He made a poor 35.6 percent of his 3-pointers over four seasons with the Wizards, making it difficult to determine how much of his 48.7 percent shooting from deep during last year’s playoffs was a fluke.
One season later, we can say that Hachimura’s improved shot in Los Angeles looks very real. 42.1 percent of 3 of it is the 13th highest mark in the league. He has been a standout 41.5 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and 44.8 percent in corner triplesbecoming one of the best spacers in the league.
Hachimura’s development into a deadly marksman has other positive downstream effects. Defenders are forced to attack him hard now, which has opened up the easiest drives to the basket he’s ever had.
When he has a lot of strength, he is unstoppable.
Hachimura deserves a lot of credit for transforming into the perfect role the Lakers needed. He was more of an isolated scorer in his Wizards days. He is still more than capable of delivering those bursts of instant offense, particularly when he gets a size mismatch in his favor.
Instead of relying on getting balls, he is now a much more complete player. His shooting has opened up more opportunities for players like Reaves, Russell and, of course, LeBron. He has become as effective without the ball as he is with it, and that has made the Lakers’ offense one of the best in the league.
Rui Hachimura is doing the little things.
For a long time, Hachimura had the label of a one-dimensional scorer. That is changing too.
While Hachimura’s rebounding numbers seem somewhat average, he is doing things to help the team. He is second on the Lakers behind Anthony Davis in Box outs per game and you can often see sealing dangerous offensive rebounders from hitting the glass.
That rebound has been noticed by teammates like LeBron, who He called it “key for us.” after Hachimura grabbed 10 rebounds in a 136-124 win over the Grizzlies in March.
Hachimura is also making smart plays on defense. He doesn’t have outstanding blocking numbers, but he is impacting shots using great verticality and being in the right spot. Opponents are shooting 4.4 percent worse than expected at the rim when he is the primary defender. by NBA elaborated.
Hachimura has become a great winning player, the type whose contributions go far beyond scoring and make the players around him better. He’s a far cry from the young prospect who couldn’t seem to find the right role in Washington. LeBron also pointed out that Hachimura looks “very comfortable” as a starter these days.
Everything is going well for Hachimura in Los Angeles. He makes the Lakers a very dangerous team that could follow the same surprising path as last year.
Denver still presents a likely insurmountable challenge, but the Lakers are 3-1 this season against the Thunder. Hachimura has played well In those matchups, he shot 53.3 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from 3-point range. If the Lakers find themselves in that first-round matchup, then they could once again play the role of spoiler.
