There’s been one player who has shined the brightest on the playoff stage and his name is notLeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,Luka Dončić, or Austin Reaves.

Playing on a court with superstars, future Hall of Famers, and generational icons, it’s Hachimura that has been the best player in the Western Conference semifinal series between theLos Angeles LakersandOklahoma City Thunder.

“He’s a talented guy. He plays like a Japanese [Michael] Jordan,” said Thunder center Chet Holmgren of Hachimura. “He can really make shots and make shots in bunches. You can’t let him get hot.”

Holmgren was complimentary of Hachimura because both players played at Gonzaga, but his analysis still rings true. You can’t let him get hot, and right now in this series Hachimura is scorching.

He’s shooting a blistering 58% from three-point range in the postseason. He’s averaging 18.3 points in this series. In order to drag Hachimura’s three-point percentage below 40%, he’d have to miss46 straight threes. All this as a quiet, corner-dwelling forward whose job description is that of a role player and not a headliner.

Rui Hachimura has been unconscious from three this postseason… my goodness.pic.twitter.com/6PfGl29aPy

And yet, through three lopsided losses, he’s been the most consistent Laker on the court and one of the few players who has been able to keep them in games before everything eventually unravels.

What makes Hachimura’s performance this postseason even more remarkable is that he’s doing it all without the ball in his hands. LeBron and Reaves are the Lakers primary ball handlers. Heck, even Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard handle the ball at times.

But there are no play calls for Hachimura. No high pick-and-rolls. No offense built around him. No three-pointers off a perimeter screen or dribble penetration. Just patience and timing. Hachimura waits for the pass that may or may not come, but when it does he delivers.

“Rui has been shooting lights out and has been playing really well for us,” said Kennard after Game 3 on a night where not much else went right for the Lakers.

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos