Remember when the Rui Hachimura-for-Kendrick Nunn (+ second round picks) wasn’t received so well? It wasn’t roundly-criticized, but the word “lukewarm” was the reaction. After a period of inconsistency early in the season, the former Washington Wizards forward has become an almost indispensable part of the Lakers’ strongest starting five. The game looks to be finally slowing down for the fifth-year player. His 13 points per game isn’t his career high, but his 53.7 FG% is by and far his highest efficiency.

As far as expectations are concerned, Hachimura has outplayed Austin Reaves and exceeded expectations in a way that D’Angelo Russell hasn’t (even thought Russell is playing VERY well).

At the beginning of the season, Rui was the Asian player to keep an eye on in 2023-2024. Amongst the cohort of young NBA stars hailing from the East, like Yuta Watanabe and Kai Sotto, the Japanese-born 6’8″ Hachimura was the one getting fans excited. He’s now proving worthy of his billing.

Can Hachimura make Lakers contenders for the NBA Finals?

Could it happen again? The LA Lakers found themselves outside the playoff contention last season as they entered the All-Star break. However, they defied expectations by embarking on a remarkable run towards the end of the season. This surge propelled them to secure the seventh seed in the Play-In Tournament and ultimately propelled them to the Conference Finals.

In Hachimura’s homeland of Japan, he’s huge. In the island nation, the best-reviewed, licensed betting and online casino Asia sites similarly price the Western Division team as outsiders. Most have them at around +3500 for the title. That keeps the 18-time winners from breaking into the top 10 favorites.

Despite being a long shot, you know you can’t write them off. Yet, perhaps this year the NBA title will prove elusive once again. The Lakers are still missing the injured Jared Vanderbilt. ESPN’s analyst Tyler Fulghum feels the Lakers are still a long way off competing for the coveted Championship title. His opinion is echoed by the bookmakers who don’t rank the Lakers in the top five favorites.

Alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves, Hachimura has helped the Lakers find an identity they didn’t have earlier in the season. In five matches together before the All-Star Weekend, the lineup managed an impressive +10.3 points per 100 possessions, ranking them amongst the top lineups within the NBA.

Inserted into the Lakers’ star-studded group, Hachimura has shown what he can bring in both offense and defense. These are the qualities that distinguish him within the team, strengths only matched by the formidable talents of James and Davis. Amidst injuries, varying playing time, and inconsistency in his performance, Hachimura has largely operated under the radar for the better part of the year. But now, following a shift in team strategy, he has been able to showcase his talents.

Lakers show improvement

Without any doubt, the Lakers have shown huge improvement. Their win against the Celtics – arguably the best team in the NBA – came without James or Davis. The victory, secured in Boston, saw the Los Angeles outfit control the game throughout. They also beat the Knicks, halting the New Yorker’s nine-game winning streak in the process.

The one consistent factor in the Lakers’ strong run is Hachimura. He has made a significant impact, helping the team outscore opponents by an impressive 128 points in the games leading up to the All-Star match. In that time, he averaged 24 points a game. He has also enabled the team to be better in defense and has earned praise for his efforts guarding stars like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Even if the Lakers aren’t title contenders this year, they’ve got a star in the making in Japan’s Hachimura.