Coming off a 21 point performance where he shot ⁸⁄₁₁ from the field and ⁴⁄₅ from 3, he has now shot over 50% from 3 in 18 straight games (5 regular season games, 10 playoff games, 2 FIBA games, and 1 preseason game). People can say it was low volume for his 3 point attempts (5.1 attempts in his last 15 NBA games and 6 attempts in FIBA) but what he’s doing is still unprecedented.

IMO, he’ll be a contender for MIP this year with the Clippers. His role on offense when he played for the Lakers was just standing in the corner and being shot ready for when Luka/AR/LeBron would pass or shooting a mid-range if someone gave him a grenade to end the possession. I think with an elevated role on the Clippers and them actually running plays for him he’ll average around 18-22ppg.

Hope Mamu pans out or else our fan base is going to lose it’s shit if Rui continues to go on this heater and take his game to another level.

https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4066648/rui-hachimura

https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/fiba-basketball-world-cup-2027-asian-qualifiers/teams/japan/206395-rui-hachimura

LightSpecialist804 | NYK

71 | 4 hours ago

Its funny if you look at Rui’s body type most people would assume he’s one of those wing archetype’s that is a good defender, rebounder, and rim slasher but struggles with his jumpshot

But he’s the exact opposite

TonyHawktuah69

33 | 3 hours ago

Body like lebron but wants to play like old man korver.

DynastyInProcess | Japan

8 | 3 hours ago

That’s hilarious considering Ty Lue said the other day he wants to use Hachimura like Korver

TonyHawktuah69

10 | 3 hours ago

It will work. Dudes got a mechanical jump shot form, reminds me of Kawhi in how robotic but automatic it is. He’s like a machine that just shoots perfect 3’s.

Rui is a likable player and fun to root for but man it’s frustrating that he’s got such a great body for basketball but doesn’t want to utilize it. Every once in a while he will get some sick standing dunk and throw down on someone like he just remembers he’s 6’8 and strong as hell, then it’s right back to jumpers only.

lovo17 | LAL

6 | 3 hours ago

He’d be legit a 25-30 million dollar roleplayer if he played to his physical ability and had that jumpshot as well.

odnamAE | LAL

2 | 3 hours ago

He’d be Japanese Kawhi if he could defend and use the physicality he was blessed with lmao well minus the handles maybe

drjisftw | IND

3 | 3 hours ago

He’s a power forward that plays like a shooting guard

AshenSacrifice | LAC

0 | 2 hours ago

His rebounding looks good to me, tho it is super early

LightSpecialist804 | NYK

6 | 2 hours ago

Lmao last year he averaged the same amount of rebounds as Jalen Brunson, a 6’0 guy who cannot dunk

_chadwell_ | LAL

1 | an hour ago

It’s so bad

TonyHawktuah69

1 | 32 minutes ago

He’s in contention with jerami grant for one of the worst rebounding forward in the league unfortunately

pie8D | LAL

28 | 4 hours ago

He holds the highest 3pt % in the playoffs if I recall. Absolute sniper with the respectable shooting volume. He will be sorely missed

TonyHawktuah69

13 | 3 hours ago

He sucks at every other aspect of the game unfortunately. 6’8 but plays small as hell on the boards and finishing. Can’t pass, doesn’t box out or defend well.

He needs a team with an absolutely dominant 5 that doesn’t need help on defense or the boards which is why he fit well with Ad for a bit when they played together

odnamAE | LAL

0 | 3 hours ago

I don’t understand when the good defender narrative started but I had so many ppl tell me he was a plus on that end which I just don’t see after watching him for the last 4 years

Ragebaiterlmao | SEA

9 | 3 hours ago

Rui is the face of the Clippers franchise now.

noplaceinmind | LAL

8 | 3 hours ago

We’ll still root for him.

Just can’t keep running more than two non defenders in a starting line up, and expecting different results.

indogunawan | LAL

13 | 3 hours ago

With how much this sub is glazing Rui, one would think he’s on the same tier as someone like Derrick White

AshenSacrifice | LAC

-2 | 2 hours ago

He’ll be better than him this season

Difficult_Tackle9505

2 | 2 hours ago

Imagine if he liked shooting 3s

subtle_penguin | LAL

6 | 4 hours ago

can’t win MIP if your team wins like 25 games

EfficientOrdinary659

10 | 3 hours ago

Kevin Love won it with his team winning 17 games and Ingram won it with his team winning 30 games.

Clippers is so fucked right now I doubt anyone would hold it against Rui

CartoonsAndAppleJack

2 | 3 hours ago

I don’t know who yall think Rui is lol

odnamAE | LAL

1 | 3 hours ago

I like him but we’ve seen him play for awhile now and he’s the same age as Tatum. He really is just a good shooting wing that can give good starts but someone who you’d want more from.

CartoonsAndAppleJack

0 | 2 hours ago

He literally only does one thing well, and that’s shooting. Bad defender, horrid rebounder, constantly out of position, can’t playmake for others.

AshenSacrifice | LAC

-1 | 2 hours ago

Who are you doesn’t have to be who you stay as

CartoonsAndAppleJack

-5 | 2 hours ago

Rui is who he is: a deadeye shooter who has rocks in his brain, is constantly out of position, can’t defend outside of slow paint players, can’t playmake, and can’t rebound

lol at all these mouthbreathers thinking this is even a controversial take. We’ve been watching this dude for three years now. dude literally can’t do anything but shoot. Yall will see in time though

3nnui | LAL

1 | an hour ago

Rui gonna break out this year now that he gets to play his natural position and get consistent touches.

Splittinghairs7 | Gran Destino

1 | 40 minutes ago

With nobody close to Luka, Lebron or AR feeding him.

His efficiency will go way down.

PSi_Terran | Slovenia

1 | an hour ago

The Lakers watched Rui shoot 50%+ or more in 17 straight games and still let him walk instead of signing him for $14m. He’s also 28 which is exactly on Lukas timeline. So either the Lakers are dumb as fuck, or they understand there’s more to basketball than shooting 3 pointers, no matter how good you are at it.

For instance according to Darko, BPM, EPM, CPM and DRIP (which I’ve never even heard off until now, from opta apparently)he’s a net negative on both sides of the ball.

Metric

Off

Def

Total

EPM

-0.6

-0.2

-0.8

DARKO

-0.3

-0.6

-0.9

DRIP

-0.4

-0.3

-0.8

CraftedPM

-0.4

-0.6

-1.0

BPM

-0.8

-1.5

-2.2

He’s such a genuinely exciting player to watch but I just don’t think he’s a starting calibre PF on a championship contender, no matter how many threes he scores.

Splittinghairs7 | Gran Destino

1 | 39 minutes ago

A bunch of other contending teams did the same with him so I guess all of these teams must all be idiots. /s

coturnixxx

5 | 4 hours ago

Rui was amazing during the playoffs. As was Smart and Luke Kennard. And that bald bearded dude who’s name escapes me.

Lakers really let them go yet kept Laravia and overpaid Austin who was practically a cone during the OKC series.

thetitsOO | LAL

7 | 3 hours ago

Laravia wasn’t a free agent, Austin was hurt in the playoffs. Rui shot lights out in the playoffs, he also averaged 4 boards in nearly 40 mpg as the starting 4. He’s elite of the elite at one thing, but happy this sub can finally be honest about him now that he left the lakers.

TalkQuirkyWithMe | DEN

2 | 3 hours ago

But wouldn’t he have been a good fit beside a stellar rebounder like Kessler?

LosAngeLukaGOATCIC | Cote D'Ivoire

3 | 3 hours ago

Not in a lineup with Luka/AR.

thetitsOO | LAL

3 | 3 hours ago

If he did other things well, but he doesn’t. Rui is elite at stationary 3s, that’s it. Would’ve liked to keep him but he’s an awkward fit in general because he can’t defend bigs, wings, or guards, can’t rebound, can’t pass, and isn’t a very good finisher around the rim or in transition. So he goes off as a shooter in preseason as expected and everyone gets all in their hot takes, but that doesn’t change any of the other deficiencies in his game.

guacdoc24 | LAL

1 | 3 hours ago

Yes but the lakers have signaled that they are going to be playing less pick n roll and more drive and kick where everyone can do that. Rui is a play finisher and ball stopper. In the right role he can be very elite and probably has more to show in his mid range scoring game but the lakers did not want to show case that.

UraniumDisulfide | LAL

5 | 3 hours ago

its funny how you criticize ar for bad defense but then you criticize the lakers for letting other bad defenders walk. Smart and LeBron didn’t want to stay and Laravia wasn’t a free agent.

swizznastic |

-3 | 3 hours ago

Smart and lebron didnt wanna stay is a bold faced lie.

EatsCatShit | LAL

4 | 3 hours ago

Based on what? You think the Lakers wouldn’t have re-signed LeBron for a min? Smart wanted a larger contract than he signed with in Houston. Quit yapping.

bighorse3231

-1 | 4 hours ago

But it’s snowing in LA now……..better than having a contending squad…… /S

LosAngeLukaGOATCIC | Cote D'Ivoire

0 | 3 hours ago

Mamu isn’t there to be replace Rui.

The second Lebron was out then, Rui wasn’t a necessity.

Rui is a good player and, I’ll root for him but he don’t fit with JJ philosophy of play and you can’t have a lineup with Luka/AR & Rui.

fhfbcc | LAL

1 | 3 hours ago

You can have a lineup with Luka ar and rui. Throw in Marcus smart for poa defense and that four man group had a +28.9 net rating last season and we saw people saying that the lakers were better without LeBron which was laregly due to rui

LosAngeLukaGOATCIC | Cote D'Ivoire

1 | 2 hours ago

Marcus Smart was UFA and he wanted to go Houston to reunite with Ime and his family.

I also suspect this is a small sample thing. This lineup won’t cut it against great teams.

Rui was still there when Bron and Smart weren’t on the team.

nowhathappenedwas | NBA

0 | 3 hours ago

he has now shot over 50% from 3 in 18 straight games

He’s shot 50% in a bunch of those games, which is not “over” 50%.

Still incredibly impressive.

SpiritFantastic4835 | LAL

2 | 3 hours ago

6’8 for no reason

Rui Hachimura has now shot over 50% from 3 point range in 18 consecutive games going back to last season (regular season + playoffs + FIBA games)