Rui Hachimura struggled to find a consistent role in his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers as he came off the bench to start the year with occasional injuries. But now, like head coach Darvin Ham solidified Hachimura as a starter, he has had some excellent offensive performances for Los Angeles recently.
Another performance took place on Wednesday, which was a must-win game against the Sacramento Kings as the Lakers fight for the standings. The 26-year-old showed commitment on the offensive end, making his jump shots, attacking the paint and even getting into the passing lanes early in the first quarter.
Although Hachimura scored 29 points on 13-of-17 shooting and the Lakers had a 19-point lead early in the first quarter, the Kings flipped the script in the second quarter and never looked back. Hachimura described where he saw the game change, which was the second frame when De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk caught fire.
“I was speaking at halftime, I said we had the best start of the entire season,” Hachimura said. “It was a good start, and we were locked in defensively, and we were sharing the ball on the offensive end, and we were moving forward. All of a sudden, I think in the second quarter, they came back. Malik [Monk] And [De’Aaron] Fox got into a rhythm and we couldn’t figure it out the entire game. We tried to come back in the third quarter and a little bit in the fourth, but it was a little too late. They were already in a rhythm, and when they’re both in a rhythm, it’s hard to play defense because you can’t really double up and all that. So yeah, the second quarter was the game.
This could very well be a game that discourages the team from moving forward, but Hachimura remains confident in the Lakers’ success, however, he emphasizes that they have no time to waste.
“We’re pretty confident,” he said. “We just have to lock in. We don’t have time to relax, like, just the game today, we had a lead of 20 or something in the first quarter, and all of a sudden , we kind of relaxed, and literally they were up at 8 p.m. We can’t relax at any point. I think it was a good start. We usually struggle with starting the game and the start of the game.
“But today was a good example, we have to play like that throughout the match. And we can do it; we just have to lock in as a team, first unit, second unit, whatever, whoever comes in the game comes out. We all need to lock down.
While the former Gonzaga Bulldog expressed optimism on a night filled with negativity, he admittedly shared his frustration as it was a missed opportunity for Los Angeles due to the playoff implications against the Kings.
“Yeah, sure,” Hachimura said. “We talked about it before the match. We saw the standings and we talked about the other teams and we were like, “This is going to be a big game, you know? And as they say, it was a big game and I think we’ll have one more against them next week. But yeah, it was a big deal; we had a good run in the first quarter and we kind of gave it to them. So next game we’ll have to get it, that’s for sure.
It’s certainly not a fun situation for the Lakers to blow a 19-point lead in less than a quarter, but there’s still some time to turn things around; not a lot, but enough to stack up the wins. Hachimura remains confident heading into this final stretch, but Wednesday increased the likelihood that Los Angeles will make the Play-In tournament again.
Rui Hachimura: Lakers need to ‘help each other’ on the defensive glass
Another issue that has reared its ugly head for the Lakers is rebounding, as the purple and gold have struggled to control the glass in recent games. Hachimura said the team needs to ‘help each other out’ on the defensive glass as Anthony Davis is usually left alone to fight for the boards.
Have you got subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive event coverage, participate in live broadcasts and much more!
