For the Lakers to make any noise in the playoffs, they are obviously going to have to get big performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But they learned the hard way through the first part of their disappointing season that having good role players is also vital.
One such role player who could shape their playoff fortunes is Rui Hachimura, who has quietly played well when given an opportunity.
Hachimura has seen his minutes fluctuate as Lakers coach Darvin Ham has tried to fit together all of the new pieces on the roster. He was benched for an entire game on March 26 because, as Ham said, "We have a lot of good players. Through no fault of their own, someone's gonna be left out of the rotation. Tonight it was Rui."
Since that benching, Hachimura has been put back into the rotation and played fairly well, showing that he has the ability to swing games for the team. He could be the role player that swings a game for the Lakers in the playoffs.
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Rui Hachimura gives the Lakers defensive versatility
Hachimura was not known as a particularly good defender during his first three seasons with the Wizards. Too often, he would be caught falling asleep as a help defender.
It's somewhat surprising, then, that as of late, Hachimura has been able to win games with his defense. He had a monster defensive performance against the Rockets on April 2, coming in as a help defender to erase three layup attempts.
Hachimura has also given the Lakers a huge boost by being able to switch across multiple positions.
He capably defended quicker guards like Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley Jr. during the Lakers' Play-In Tournament win against the Timberwolves, along with stonewalling Karl-Anthony Towns.
Hachimura's on-ball defense has been shockingly effective. Opponents are shooting just 40.8 percent against him. Per NBA Stats, that is the lowest mark in the entire league among players who have appeared in at least 50 games. Opponents have shot 6.6 percent worse than their season averages when Hachimura is their primary defender.
Those field goal percentage stats do need to be taken with a grain of salt, as they can be fairly noisy. Hachimura definitely is not the best defender in the league.
But the film backs up that he has moved his feet and hips very well when guarding some elite scorers.
LeBron James has endorsed Rui Hachimura's offense
Hachimura has averaged a modest 9.6 points per game for the Lakers, coming mostly off the bench. But he is capable of huge scoring outbursts. He poured in 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting against the Rockets on April 2 and earned the praise of James.
"He's a rhythm player," James said after the game. "When he knows he's going to play, and he's going to get a significant amount of minutes off the bench, I think he could be really, really good for us. ...
"We look for him. We know what he's capable of. At his size, there's not many guys of his height, his size, his build that are able to guard him on the offensive end."
Hachimura has bailed the Lakers out of a lot of bad possessions at the end of the shot clock because he is able to create a shot for himself at pretty much any time.
More Rui "release valve" stuff. Think without Bron, his ability to get his own bucket at the 4 is very valuable. Bailed out the offense a few times last night as the Magic made runs. pic.twitter.com/tT8HVmn9VF
— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) March 20, 2023
Hachimura hasn't quite been the 3-point threat that the Lakers were hoping — he connected on only 29.6 percent of his deep attempts for the team during the regular season. But he has hit some very clutch ones, and he could very well regain his 3-point stroke during the playoffs.
Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt play similar roles for the Lakers. While Vanderbilt is a better defender, Hachimura is much more of an offensive threat.
When the team does need more of a two-way player, Hachimura could get a great opportunity to swing a game with his improved defense and microwave scoring.
