The 2026 NBA Playoffs are fast approaching, and that is great news for the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been kicking their play into another gear as of late. Over the last 15 or so games, the Lakers have looked like real championship contenders for the first time this season.
But none of that matters if the team doesn't bring the same energy they are bringing now to round one of the playoffs. We all know Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James are going to come ready and focused on winning the second the whistle blows and round one tips off.
What if I were to tell you, there may be another Laker just as prepared as the big three: Rui Hachimura.
The former Washington Wizards lottery pick has come off the bench in the Lakers' last five games, and while some fans may feel Hachimura is starting to fall off, the playoffs will change that. In his six-year NBA career, Hachimura has been a consistent playoff riser and is exactly the type of clutch role player a team wants in the postseason.
Rui Hachimura could be Lakers' X-factor for a deep playoff run
On the season, Hachimura is already shooting an impressive 43.8 percent from 3-point, but when the playoffs come around, he becomes even more deadly from beyond the arc.
Over his career, Hachimura has played in 31 playoff games and is shooting 48.5 percent from three. Last season, he connected on 50 percent of his corner threes in the playoffs, according to Cleaning the Glass.
To put how ridiculous a shooter Hachimura is in the postseason, he is hitting at a higher clip than Luke Kennard has over the course of his playoff career. His ability to be a killer threat from deep in the playoffs has been a thing since his first career playoff appearance with Washington back in 2021, where he shot 60 percent from beyond the arc.
For a Lakers team with multiple dynamic perimeter players and playmakers in Luka, LeBron, and Reaves, having a knockdown catch-and-shoot threat like this is dangerous come playoff time. Especially with JJ Redick now experimenting with lineups that feature Hachimura at small-ball center, the floor spacing LA has in those moments is too much for defenses to handle.
Hachimura shoots the ball with a certain swagger and confidence that no one can really teach. Come playoff time, there will be situations where the team needs a 3-pointer, and one of the stars can't deliver it. So, having another guy similar to Kennard who can drill triples and make big-time shots is another layer in the championship-winning cake the Lakers are baking.