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The likes of Marcus Smart<\/a> and Luke Kennard<\/a> have gotten a ton of praise for their performance in the playoffs so far for the Los Angeles Lakers. But another role player who has been extremely important not just in the postseason, but all season long, has been Rui Hachimura.<\/p>\n While he hasn\u2019t had the huge offensive explosion, Hachimura has been steady and reliable, and has definitely earned the trust of JJ Redick and the coaching staff, as evidenced by him leading the Lakers in minutes throughout the first two games. And Hachimura has been preparing all season long to be ready to take on this load in the playoffs.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I was ready for it,\u201d Hachimura said after the Lakers\u2019 Game 2 win<\/a>. \u201cThroughout the season, you know it\u2019s a long season, but building the body. <\/p>\n \u201cI have to do a lot of recovery during the season, lifting and all that. I was doing all that for this moment, the playoffs. I was ready for that and yea it\u2019s high minutes for me, but it\u2019s not that bad. I\u2019ve been preparing through fine. I\u2019ve been locked in on the defensive side and whatever we have to execute. So I was living for this moment.<\/p>\n Hachimura is averaging 42 minutes so far in this series against the Houston Rockets and he has delivered on both sides of the court. Not only is he shooting 50% from 3-point range, but he also has been huge on defense, particularly in Game 1 when he had three steals and two blocks.<\/p>\n Hachimura has long been one of the most important role players for the Lakers, growing into one of the most consistent 3-point shooters in the entire league while also making great strides defensively as well. With the Lakers not having Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to start these playoffs, Redick has had to shorten his rotation even more which means big minutes, but as he said, Hachimura was ready to take that on.<\/p>\n He and the rest of the Lakers will have to continue this high level of play as the series shifts to Houston, but coming up big on the road is nothing new for Hachimura and Redick will be relying on him once again.<\/p>\n Very few gave the Lakers a chance heading into the postseason without their two leading scorers, yet they still find themselves with a 2-0 lead. The Lakers have maintained that they believe in the players they have at their disposal and Kennard says this team must continue to believe in themselves and what they can do<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n <\/div>\nLuke Kennard: Lakers \u2018gotta believe in what we have\u2019<\/h2>\n