“Play your best players”: NBA insider fires shot at Lakers despite hot 8-1 stretch amid Play-In pressure

Recently, the LA Lakers have been on fire in the NBA, winning 8 out of their last 9 games. Their only loss was against the Indiana Pacers on March 29. This is a significant improvement from their performance at the start of the season, and Anthony F. Irwin has insight into the reason behind this change.

The Lakers game results from their last 27 matches were shared by the NBA Insider. The team has emerged victorious in 19 of those 27 games. During this remarkable run, they have managed to defeat notable teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, OKC Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and LA Clippers.

Irwin stated that the team’s success was not due to any sort of magical phenomenon, as 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.’”

According to Irwin, the Lakers’ success can be attributed in part to the addition of Rui Hachimura to their starting lineup. Hachimura’s impressive performance as a starter has been evident and has greatly contributed to the team’s achievements.

Starting in his role as a starter, he has been scoring an average of 15.7 points with a 58.4% shooting percentage from the field. With less defensive focus on him, he now has greater liberty to maneuver on the offense.

Despite having their five-game winning streak broken by the Pacers, LeBron James and his team are currently on a three-game winning streak. While some may argue that most of their recent victories have been against weaker opponents, it cannot be denied that their adjustments have greatly contributed to their success. Additionally, they have also proven themselves by defeating some of the strongest teams in the NBA.

Rui Hachimura Earns Starting Spot for Lakers After Impressive Workouts

Despite being traded to the Lakers, Rui Hachimura had established himself as a key player on the Washington Wizards’ roster and was a significant contributor to their postseason success. However, this season, Hachimura appears to be struggling to find his footing and maintain his previous level of performance.

Ever since Hachimura was added to the starting lineup, the team’s efficiency has drastically increased. Hachimura’s compatibility with the team’s top players allows him more opportunities to score, as opponents are preoccupied with guarding LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Ever since Hachimura was included in the starting lineup, LA has had the second-best offense in the league and the top offense in the Western Conference. He has maintained an impressive shooting percentage of 59% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc.

Rui informed the press that he now found it much simpler to make shots from any spot on the court.

“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.”

Despite being the top offensive team in the West, the Lakers must find a way to defeat opponents like the Denver Nuggets in order to truly progress.