The Los Angeles Lakers need all the firepower they can get with Luka Doncic still out. He did not play in their first-round win over the Houston Rockets. Luke Kennard is one of the names that immediately comes to mind when discussing which Lakers have stepped up.
Rui Hachimura is also worth highlighting.
The Japanese forward has been a steady force in supporting LeBron James, who has been playing like it’s the 2010s. “King James” has been playing freely this postseason, and that has a lot to do with his teammates, who have been performing their roles well.
Hachimura is averaging 15.8 points in the first round, higher than his regular-season average. Even more impressive is his three-point shooting percentage.
The Lakers announced that Hachimura is currently atop one historic NBA list, as he is currently shooting 50.8% from beyond the arc—the highest mark in NBA postseason history. The closest is a 50% record set by Bob Hansen who last played in 1992.
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Fans are excited about this feat by the 28-year-old forward.
"I’ve been calling him “Mr. Efficient” all season long and I’m so happy he’s been proving me right 🥹…not just from 3 but his midrange as well 🙌🏽," one comment reads.
"Japanese Jordan," fan page Lakers All Day Everyday with 1.1 million followers wrote.
Hachimura’s biggest night came in the series-clinching Game 6, where he shot 5-of-7 from the field. He also tied his highest number of three-point attempts in that victory. Prior to that, he had attempted only five threes combined in the previous two games.
Hachimura said the coaching staff specifically encouraged him to shoot more.
“They trust me with my shooting. After the last game, they told me to shoot more threes. The coaches came up to me and said, ‘Shoot more threes. Shoot more threes.’ That’s what I did,” he said.
The Lakers will need more of his three-point shooting on Tuesday as they face the formidable defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the second round.
