Rui Hachimura has been a crucial contributing player to the Lakers’ offense, especially since joining the starting lineup in February. Hachimura fits perfectly into the Lakers’ drive-and-kick offense, with his ability to shoot and finish at the rim effectively. His versatile offensive game, including solid three-point shooting and mid-range game, provides another dimension for the Lakers and makes him a key X-factor for the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the hottest teams in the league. They’re 7-3 in their last 10 games, and have a top-10 net rating in that same time span. A lot of the attention and credit has been placed on their supporting cast, notably their starting backcourt, whose noticeable improvement has helped contribute to a top-six offense in the month of March.
As much as their praises have been well deserved, it’s important to note that there’s been a player that’s equally deserving of the same attention, Rui Hachimura. The fifth-year guard has been crucial to the Lakers’ offense, and his contributions cannot be overstated. Since being promoted to the starting lineup in early February, Hachimura has averaged 15.8 points on 58.5 percent shooting, and nearly 45 percent from three.
He’s the perfect fit to the Lakers’ preferred style of offense, and has proven that his success isn’t just limited to the regular season. In last year’s postseason campaign, Hachimura averaged over 12 points while shooting a team-high 49 percent from three. The Lakers are going to need a repeat performance from him in this year’s playoffs if they want to make another title run.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic : The Lakers have the third-best offense in the NBA (118.6 points per 100 possessions) since Rui Hachimura was moved into the starting lineup on Feb. 3.
Perfect for the Lakers’ Drive and Kick Offense
Hachimura is shooting 41.5 percent on catch-and-shoot threes
The Lakers tend to run a four-out motion offense. You’ll often see a lot of their players space out in the perimeter. This spacing allows their many ball-handlers to drive towards the basket, draw in multiple defenders, and kick it to the open shooter.
It’s a style of play that’s synonymous with LeBron James at this point. He’s so effective at getting opposing defenders to collapse on him and has the court vision to navigate through them and find the open man. However, it’s not just James that’s driving and kicking, both Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell get their fair share of attacks at the rim.
While the Lakers have many capable attackers that can initiate this offense, these drive and kick possessions are only effective as the player that finishes them. And luckily for the Lakers, Hachimura is extremely effective and efficient in this receiving role. He’s averaging 41.5 percent from catch and shoot threes this season, the third best among all Lakers.
Above is an example of this play in action. The possession starts off with a dribble handoff from Davis to Russell, who immediately turns the corner and attacks the Sacramento Kings’ rim. Keegan Murray stays too close to the rim to protect against the drive and Hachimura gets a wide open corner three.
Hachimura is shooting above 44 percent from corner-three attempts, which ranks him in the top seventeen of all players with at least one and a half attempts per game.
There’s more to his game than just three-point shooting, and that’s what makes him such a versatile offensive weapon. In the play below, Hachimura gets the ball on the wing and notices that his defender, Trayce Jackson-Davis, rotates just a little too late. Hachimura is able to beat him off the dribble and finishes with a left-handed slam.
Between the elite catch and shoot threat, plus his ability to get to the basket, he’s someone that opposing defenses can’t sag off of. And this is perfect for the Lakers’ many ball-handlers. Less defensive attention on them means that they will have an easier time getting to the rim, or finding another open player.
This is exactly why Hachimura is so valuable to the Lakers, and is their X-factor in the upcoming playoffs. Opposing defenses will have to play him closely, and that means more space for the rest of the Lakers to operate.
Hachimura Can Hurt You From All Over the Court
One of the Lakers’ most versatile scorers this season
So what happens when opposing defenses adjust and play him closer? Well, Hachimura has a solid mid-range game also. He’s got the speed and athleticism to beat out bigger, slower defenders, but is big and strong enough to bully quicker, faster ones.
In the above play, Aldama does a good job of moving to Hachimura the moment he gets the ball, preventing a good look for three. He’s does his best to stay in front of Hachimura on the attack, and Pippen Jr. arrives to take away the drive.
Hachimura stops, gets Aldama to bite on the fake, and makes the pull-up jumper. He’s shooting near 44 percent on pull up jumpers this season, and just a little over 41 percent in the mid-range.
What’s important to note is that these pull up jumpers and mid-range shots aren’t the main source of his field goal attempts, but rather a means to take advantage of overextending defenders. He has an extremely efficient shot selection, with over 76 percent of his possessions resulting in a three pointer, or a shot at the rim.
An efficient shot selection means that the Lakers don’t have to worry about him shooting the team out of games. And this was observed in last year’s postseason campaign, where he led the team in efficiency, averaging a 63 percent effective field goal percentage on only eight shot attempts per game. The Lakers are going to need a repeat of this performance if they want to make another title run this year.
