Coming into the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers were considered a longshot to making it to the NBA Finals, let alone getting out of the first round, with the team facing Ja Morant and the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
However, the 17-time NBA champions were one of a few teams in the league to pull off an upset in Game 1 of the first round over the weekend.
One of the main reasons for the Lakers’ success against the Grizzlies on Sunday in Memphis was the emergence of Rui Hachimura, who had the game of his life off the bench for the Purple and Gold.
Not only was Hachimura on fire from beyond the arc and vital to this win in Game 1, but he also made franchise history, which is no easy task when it comes to the Lakers and all the great players that have come through the organization.
According to the team’s Twitter account, Hachimura matched Mychal Thompson for the most points off the bench in a playoff game for Los Angeles.
Most points (29) off the bench in Lakers Playoff history:
Mychal Thompson, 1988
Rui Hachimura, 2023 pic.twitter.com/BXudtox1xc— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 17, 2023
As one of the many new faces in Los Angeles after a flurry of moves made by general manager Rob Pelinka ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February, Hachimura has been up and down during his stint with the team thus far.
Despite being inconsistent during his time in Los Angeles to this point, the 25-year-old is making a strong impression at the right time, which bodes well for him heading into NBA free agency this summer, as he could become a hot commodity.
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