Averaged 16.6 points per game! Pelinka’s “bet” was right, he has two advantages for the Lakers

Since the start of the season, Reeves has averaged 33.8 points per game, second only to Maxey, Antetokounmpo, Alexander and Markkanen. More importantly, judging from the 73.4% true shooting rate (a career high, 12th in the league), the surge in scoring is not simply due to an increase in shots, but due to hard power.

What does Reeves' re-evolution mean to the Lakers?

First, it is easy to carry the team forward when Doncic and James are absent.

Second, when young all-around forwards and 3D players such as the Trail Blazers' Avdija and the Pelicans' Murphy are potentially traded, they are good bargaining chips.

To put it simply, the better Reeves plays, the better it will be for the Lakers.

One more thing here, if Reeves maintains the current trend, it is not impossible to enter the NBA All-Star this season.

It is still related to good status.

Since the start of the season, Hachimura has averaged 16.6 points per game, which is a new high in his NBA career. For the Lakers, he is the team's third-leading scorer after Doncic and Reeves.

Regarding Hachimura, I think Pelinka made the right bet.

First of all, since the start of the season, Wiggins has averaged 14.5 points per game and a three-point rate of 31.3%. The latter alone is the lowest since the 15-16 season. On the defensive end, against the Magic, Grizzlies, Knicks and Hornets, they all allowed opponents such as Banchero, Bridges, Pope and others to shoot at least 50%.

Therefore, if the "bet" is right, it can be understood as:

Although Hachimura's defense is not better than Wiggins, at least the offensive end is much better at this stage. In other words, if Pelinka uses Hachimura as the main player in exchange for Wiggins this summer, the team's immediate combat effectiveness will not increase but decrease.

In addition, Hachimura has two other advantages for the Lakers in my opinion.

First, space points + immediate combat power

Since the start of the game, Reeves has accounted for 20% and 22.7% of the shots from the basket and near the basket. The two shooting rates are 73.3% and 58.3% respectively.

The finishing efficiency is so high, in addition to its own hard power, it is also directly related to the existence of Hachimura Rui. To be precise, the latter's 43.8% three-point rate and 52.5% large two-point rate play a very good role in containing defenders and opening up space. In fact, Reeves' shooting percentage per 100 possessions can increase by 2.9 percentage points with Hachimura on the court.

At this stage, Reeves and Hachimura have a sense of familiarity with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lopez in the past. To be precise, the latter's three-point containment opens up space for the former.

As I just said, both Doncic and James are injured at this stage. Although Reeves performed well, it was difficult for him to defeat the four-handed opponent with two fists. Fortunately, Hachimura's stable output can help the former share some of the offensive pressure.

Second, the trading chips

are first a one-year contract worth $18 million, and then a relatively good performance. It can be said that as long as Hachimura maintains the current trend, his worth will increase to a certain extent, and what he brings will become a bargaining chip in transactions.

Of course, I don’t mean that the Lakers will definitely trade Hachimura, but when the Raptors trade Boltel and the Nets trade Claxton, the Lakers can use Hachimura as a competitive bargaining chip.

Relatively speaking, I think the first point is the main reason.

First of all, the Lakers have many injured players at this stage, and Pelinka will not easily trade Rui Hachimura, a player who can stably provide immediate combat effectiveness.

Secondly, if there is no Rui Hachimura and all the offensive burden falls on Reeves, let alone whether the latter can resist, at least this will greatly increase the probability of injury.

Finally, I firmly believe that if Hachimura continues to play steadily, the possibility of the Lakers trading him is basically gone.