The Los Angeles Lakers started their midseason remodeling project in late January by shipping Kendrick Nunn, a guard who was used sparingly, and three second-round draft picks to the Washington Wizards for forward Rui Hachimura.
In 33 regular season games with L.A., he averaged 9.6 points a game, which was significantly down from the 13.0 points a contest he averaged with the Wizards prior to the trade, and his overall play was up and down.
Many times, L.A. had trouble incorporating him into its offense, relegating him to a spectator beyond the 3-point line instead of an active participant.
But so far in the first round of the playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, Hachimura has lived up to the potential the team saw in him.
In Game 1, he sparked a third-quarter rally and was a major factor in the Lakers’ 128-112 win with a team-high 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting and 5-of-6 from 3-point range.
Then in Game 2, he kept the team in the contest by scoring an efficient 20 points.
The Japan native has always been a very reliable and potent midrange scorer, but lately, he has also been lighting it up from downtown.
Although he isn’t known as a defender, he has also had his moments on that end of the floor. In a late-season win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, he defended Karl-Anthony Towns well at times, despite being four inches shorter and nearly 20 pounds lighter than him.
Hachimura has credited members of the Lakers, particularly player development coach Phil Handy, for making him feel “very confident and comfortable” on his new team.
A possible byproduct of Hachimura’s strong play
The Lakers need to manage LeBron James’ minutes moving forward in order to limit his fatigue and wear and tear, and Hachimura is giving them an opportunity to do just that.
Hachimura gets the bulk of his minutes and shots when James is resting, and if he continues to play well, it would buy head coach Darvin Ham some longer stretches of rest for James without it hurting the team.
He gives L.A. a reliable go-to option when James isn’t on the court, especially when the game slows down, but he’s also a nice finisher in transition as well.
Hachimura will be a restricted free agent this summer, and with play like this, he will earn himself a nifty payday, perhaps to remain in the Purple and Gold.
Story originally appeared on LeBron Wire