The Los Angeles Lakers executed a 116-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, improving their overall season record to 48-26 and keeping them in position as the No. 3 seed in the West. The game was tense for the first three quarters as the Nets troubled the Lakers amid another hot scoring night from Luka Doncic. However, it seems there’s an unsung hero in the Lakers’ lineup who has been a huge part of their 15-1 record in the last 16 games.
After the win over the Nets, Lakers head coach JJ Redick answered multiple questions in his post-game interview with the media, where one member of international media asked him about the contributions of Rui Hachimura. This led to Redick bringing up a stat that shows how important Hachimura is to the Lakers, as the team has a 42-18 record when he’s played this season.
“We are now 42-18 when Rui Hachimura plays, which is about a 57-58 win pace. That tells you all you need to know. His ability to space the floor, his size, it’s so important for our team and our rotation.”
Hachimura put up eight points in the win over the Nets, finishing the game with a +7 plus/minus. The Lakers’ 6-8 record without Hachimura shows his importance to the team’s philosophies on both ends, as they need his size defensively to deploy alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves, while they also need his ability to space the floor on offense.
Hachimura is averaging 11.1 points and 3.2 rebounds on 43.4% from three this season, with his numbers going up to 12.2 points on 46.4% from three when the Lakers are winning. His contribution seems inextricably linked to how the Lakers perform, which could be a burden when high-pressure situations in the Playoffs come calling. This might also be the reason why Redick has preferred deploying Hachimura as a sixth man through their best stretch of the season.
The Lakers have a major issue when it comes to production in their second unit, so Hachimura’s presence there has balanced the Lakers’ rotations greatly. He’s expected to come off the bench whent he team is healthy, with Marcus Smart likely starting over him. Redick started Jake LaRavia over Hachimura against the Nets, but Hachimura played more minutes over the game with 27 compared to LaRavia’s 18.
There might be certain matchups where Hachimura has to start over the defense-oriented Smart, but that remains to be seen, as Smart is currently out injured and seemed set as a starter. He leads the Lakers in plus/minus, so being the defined Sixth Man and getting active minutes in that role will only benefit both the player and team.
The Lakers have a 119.1 offensive rating when Hachimura plays compared to 117.2 on the season as a whole, which highlights the boost he adds to the Lakers’ offense when unavailable. Unfortunately, the team is slightly worse on defense with Hachimura, with the team’s defensive rating with him being 116.6 and 115.7 on the season. While his production can be inconsistent, the threat he provides in his role off-the-bench is something the Lakers will need in the Playoffs.
