The Los Angeles Lakers have arguably the best superstar duo in the NBA today in LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Beyond that, now that Austin Reaves is playing at an All-Star level with season averages of 20.2 points and 5.8 assists a game, they have a legitimate “Big Three’ that will be very difficult for opponents to deal with in the upcoming playoffs.
The three have overshadowed starting forward Rui Hachimura a bit. He’s the team’s fourth-leading scorer at 13.1 points per game, and he’s a very efficient scorer, as his 50.9% overall field-goal percentage and 41.3% 3-point shooting accuracy would suggest. But sometimes the Lakers seem to forget about him and don’t utilize him offensively, despite his ample offensive skills.
Matthew Ogden of Lake Show Life pointed out an interesting stat that could mean Hachimura is a “barometer” player as far as Los Angeles is concerned.
Via Lake Show Life:
“Between his energy on both ends of the floor and his efficient touch as a shooter, Hachimura has helped set the tone and emerge as something of a glue guy,” Ogden wrote.
“The most important statistic on Hachimura’s résumé, however, is his 9.8 field goal attempts per game. It may seem like a relatively inconsequential number, but it’s actually come to define the Lakers’ season—or, more specifically, their success.
“When Hachimura exceeds that figure of 9.8 by attempting at least 10 shots, the Lakers are 22-7—and they’re 14-15 when he plays but attempts fewer than 10 field goals.”
Hachimura has the ability to create and hit his own shot in iso situations, and he also moves well without the ball while roaming the baseline to get free. He also runs the floor well and finishes well in transition, although the Lakers’ transition offense has been intermittent for a while.
He has something of a history of coming up big in the playoffs. During the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals two years ago, he reached the 20-point mark four times in 16 games during that postseason. At 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, he’s one non-star player they have who can match the size and physicality that the Minnesota Timberwolves, their first-round playoff opponent this year, have in spades.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: One stat may mean Rui Hachimura is a ‘barometer’ player for the Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have arguably the best superstar duo in the NBA today in LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Beyond that, now that Austin Reaves is playing at an All-Star level with season averages of 20.2 points and 5.8 assists a game, they have a legitimate “Big Three’ that will be very difficult for opponents to deal with in the upcoming playoffs.
The three have overshadowed starting forward Rui Hachimura a bit. He’s the team’s fourth-leading scorer at 13.1 points per game, and he’s a very efficient scorer, as his 50.9% overall field-goal percentage and 41.3% 3-point shooting accuracy would suggest. But sometimes the Lakers seem to forget about him and don’t utilize him offensively, despite his ample offensive skills.
Matthew Ogden of Lake Show Life pointed out an interesting stat that could mean Hachimura is a “barometer” player as far as Los Angeles is concerned.
Via Lake Show Life:
“Between his energy on both ends of the floor and his efficient touch as a shooter, Hachimura has helped set the tone and emerge as something of a glue guy,” Ogden wrote.
“The most important statistic on Hachimura’s résumé, however, is his 9.8 field goal attempts per game. It may seem like a relatively inconsequential number, but it’s actually come to define the Lakers’ season—or, more specifically, their success.
“When Hachimura exceeds that figure of 9.8 by attempting at least 10 shots, the Lakers are 22-7—and they’re 14-15 when he plays but attempts fewer than 10 field goals.”
Hachimura has the ability to create and hit his own shot in iso situations, and he also moves well without the ball while roaming the baseline to get free. He also runs the floor well and finishes well in transition, although the Lakers’ transition offense has been intermittent for a while.
He has something of a history of coming up big in the playoffs. During the Lakers’ run to the Western Conference Finals two years ago, he reached the 20-point mark four times in 16 games during that postseason. At 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, he’s one non-star player they have who can match the size and physicality that the Minnesota Timberwolves, their first-round playoff opponent this year, have in spades.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: One stat may mean Rui Hachimura is a ‘barometer’ player for the Lakers
