“Play your best players”: NBA insider fires shot at Lakers despite hot 8-1 stretch amid Play-In pressure
The LA Lakers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA of late and in their last nine games, they are 8-1. They have lost just one game, which came against the Indiana Pacers On March 29. Compared to how the Lakers performed at the beginning of the season, this is a drastic change, and Anthony F. Irwin knows why.
The NBA Insider posted the Lakers game results in their last 27 games. The team has won 19 of those 27. In this impressive stretch, they have defeated teams like Milwaukee Bucks, OKC Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and LA Clippers.
According to Irwin, there is no magic behind the team’s success. He tweeted:
"It's so funny looking at these results because you'd think the Lakers traded for Jokic or Giannis but nope the key adjustment was 'play your best players.'"
Irwin also added that one of the key factors in the Lakers’ success has been adding Rui Hachimura to the starting lineup. Hachimura has been highly successful and his impact has been noticeable since he has become a starter.
As a starter, he is averaging 15.7 points on 58.4% shooting from the field. He has more freedom to operate on the offense because he is attracting less attention from the defense.
LeBron James and co. are on a three-game winning streak after their five-game winning streak was snapped by the Pacers. It could be said that most of the recent wins have come against the weaker teams, however, the adjustment has definitely helped them. Moreover, they have also defeated some of the top teams in the NBA.
Lakers have worked out what works best and it’s Rui Hachimura in the starting lineup
Rui Hachimura was one of the leading players on the Washington Wizards' roster before he was traded to the Lakers. He was one of the key players in the team’s postseason performances, however, this season, Hachimura seemed to be losing his identity.
Since they added Hachimura to the starting lineup, the team’s efficiency has skyrocketed. Hachimura and the team's stars combine so well because it opens up an opportunity for him to keep scoring, while opponents focus on LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Since Hachimura has been added to the starting lineup, LA has the second-best offense in the league and the best in the Western Conference. He is shooting 59% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc.
Rui told the media it was now much easier for him to score from anywhere on the floor.
“You can see, like on offense, I can cut to the rim, I can get wide-open threes,” he said after the game against the Washington Wizards. “And defensively, we’re all switching. It’s easy. We’re very physical, can get rebounds and all that. So I think it’s good. We just have to keep building this.”
Though the Lakers are the top offensive team in the West, they still need to figure out how to beat teams like the Denver Nuggets if they are to really push on.