The Los Angeles Lakers are looking like a playoff-caliber team once again, winning six of their last seven games. Their latest win was over the Utah Jazz, as the Lakers handled business without LeBron James. The reason behind that was Rui Hachimura, who had a career-high 36 points.
After this win, Hachimura kept it real when asked why the Lakers were successful again after a rough few months. He believes it was based on rotations and lineups.
“I’ve been telling em, like, this is who we are. We’ve been trying like a lot of different things, lineups, all this stuff. But this is the lineup we had in the playoffs, and that’s how we won. So, you know, it’s that simple.”
Rui Hachimura on the Lakers finding their identity: "I've been telling em, like, this is who we are. We've been trying like a lot of different things, lineups, all this stuff. But this is the lineup we had in the playoffs, and that's how we won. So, you know, it's that simple."
— michael corvo (@michaelcorvo_) February 15, 2024
The Lakers’ successful playoff lineups saw D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis take the floor. The lineup has a great mix of athleticism and versatility, though the defense can be questionable outside of Davis. Nonetheless, this lineup has gone 5-0. In 87 minutes shared on the court this season, they have an offensive rating of 123.1 and a defensive rating of 113.6, meaning the lineup has a +9.5 net rating.
The Lakers won with LeBron’s absence courtesy of Rui’s career night and a monster performance by Davis, who put up 39 points and 15 rebounds. Even D’Angelo Russell had a career night, dropping 16 assists in the win.
Rui Hachimura Could Be The Lakers X-Factor
Rui Hachimura has not had an ideal season, spending most of the year trying to earn a defined rotational spot in the Lakers lineup. Even with LeBron James healthy, Rui has averaged 16.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game over the last five contests. He’s becoming an integral part of the rotation.
Darvin Ham comments on Rui’s play after the game, remarking that the Japanese forward is in a good head space and enjoying the game.
“He’s in a good space. He’s having fun with his teammates. Having fun playing the game. And he heard us loud and clear, with us encouraging.”
https://twitter.com/michaelcorvoNBA/status/1758003681008738519
Similar to Jonathan Kuminga in Golden State, Hachimura is thriving with increased opportunity after having inconsistent minutes all season long. He’s averaging 12.0 points and 3.7 rebounds on the season as a whole, but the numbers are spiking up with his recent boost in form.
One area of his game he can improve is his playmaking, as Hachimura doesn’t excel at ball movement within an offense. Austin Reaves even joked about Rui’s lack of playmaking after his 36-point night, joking about his one assist being a career-high.
“That’s what Rui does. He might have had a career-high in assists too. He had one. Nah, I’m playing… Any time Rui sees his first couple go in, it’s going to be a good game for us.”
The Lakers will head into the All-Star break with a record of 30-26, good for the No. 9 seed in the West. The race for the top six is hot right now, as the Kings, Mavericks, Pelicans, and Suns have all been winning games recently. Even the Warriors are coming from the No. 10 seed, but their five-game win streak was halted by the Clippers last night.
The Lakers return from All-Star break for a must-win game against the Golden State Warriors. If Hachimura can sustain his form and become an elite wing for the Lakers through the final stretch of the season, the Lakers could be a dangerous team to face in the playoffs.
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