Lakers News: Analyst Convinced Young LA Star Needs To Upgrade Offense

It will make him an even better scorer!

Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers have a number of marquee players to look forward to but returning wing Rui Hachimura is someone that the franchise has committed a new contract with and has a lot of untapped potential still. 

The former Gonzaga standout freshman was able to find himself during LA's 2023 run to the Western Conference Finals and he brought a level of scoring off the bench that I believe the organization had been looking for for quite some time. There's always times where the superstars come into a game a little sloppy or get tired down the stretch and having a scorer that can check in and create their own offense is huge in the postseason.

Hachimura was incredibly efficient during those 16 playoff games with the purple and gold and he forced defenses to start paying attention to him. Memphis Grizzlies' Desmond Bane reacted poorly to the 6'8 forward's outburst against them in the first round but that was because he had become accustomed to watching Hachimura play a style of basketball he hadn't figured out and Lakers fans were not sure how he would fit into the rotation during the regular season.

However, adjusting to LA can be tough at first especially when Anthony Davis and LeBron James have the ball most of the time. But Hachimura proved that he could not only be aggressive on both ends of the floor when it matters but he could also bring a different dynamic to their lineups.

USA Today's Robert Marvi broke down Hachimura's potential areas of improvement for the 2023-2024 season perfectly and it all boils down to his efficiency beyond the arc. His 48 percent from three in the playoffs was far different than his 29 percent during the regular season with the Lakeshow.

"The Lakers cannot have his outside shooting accuracy be that inconsistent. Hachimura doesn’t need to become a 40% 3-point shooter, but a figure in the high 30s would be very strong for him."

(Via LeBron Wire, USA Today)

Rui has a golden opportunity ahead of him and I'm confident Lakers fans want to see him take on a bigger role!

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