Rui Hachimura is turning a strong regular season into something bigger in the playoffs, and the Lakers need every bit of it after a Thursday loss left them down 2-0 to the Thunder. Without Luka Dončić, Los Angeles went in as a heavy underdog, then watched Oklahoma City score the first seven points and push the Lakers into a rough opening stretch in which they missed their first five shots.
Hachimura answered the way he has all postseason. Marcus Smart drove into the lane and kicked the ball out to Hachimura, who attacked Chet Holmgren in isolation and buried a mid-range pull-up. Later, LeBron James found him in the corner and Hachimura hit a 3-pointer over Holmgren while the Lakers trailed 11-4. Austin Reaves, who finished with six assists in Game 2, also slipped Hachimura a skip pass for a wide-open look. It was another reminder that the Lakers are not just getting makes from him. They are getting the kind of shot-making that bends the defense around him.
That has been the story of Hachimura’s postseason. He led the league in the regular season among players who attempted at least two mid-range shots per game, making 55.6% of those jumpers. In the playoffs, he has carried that touch to the arc as well, shooting 57.1% from three on more than five attempts per game through eight games. Last year, he shot 48% from deep in five playoff games against Minnesota, but this run has taken another step. His 57.1% mark from beyond the arc leads the Lakers and ranks second among players taking at least three threes per game in the entire playoffs.
The shooting profile matters because it changes how the Lakers can operate. When Hachimura is spacing the floor, defenders cannot cheat off him in the corner while Los Angeles runs on-ball actions. That is what has made him so useful beside stars who need room to work, and it is why his production has become more valuable as the games have tightened. He was ninth all-time in 3-pointers made in Lakers franchise history entering this game, and he still held the NBA record for the highest playoff 3-point percentage in league history at 51%.
The tension for the Lakers is that Hachimura’s rise has not been enough by itself to alter the series. His shooting has translated exactly as hoped, but the Thunder still own the 2-0 edge, and Oklahoma City’s early burst in Game 2 put Los Angeles in chase mode before the offense could settle. If the Lakers are going to recover, they will need Hachimura to keep making the shots that force the Thunder to stay honest — and they will need more than that from the rest of the roster, too.
