While it was a team win against the Nuggets, head coach JJ Redick was sure to single out Rui Hachimura for his performance in the victory.
At one point during the series of losses the Lakers suffered against the Nuggets, the meme of Rui Hachimura being the answer defensively against Nikola Jokic was born.
It was a short-lived solution that was hardly a solution at all. However, in a full circle moment, it was Rui who had the opening, and predominant, defensive responsibility on Jokic in Saturday’s win in Denver.
It was certainly a team approach defensively against Jokic even when Rui was in the game with a host of players swarming him each possession. But after the game, head coach JJ Redick specifically singled out Rui.
“I thought Rui was outstanding,” Redick said. “He was a warrior tonight. A warrior. All the guys that had primary turns on him, LeBron at one point, Vando for sure setting the tone with his physicality, [DFS] as well and then any time a small got switched onto him, we stuck with what we were trying to do and had to live with some things but that’s what we were willing to live with.”
Considering how much they’ve struggled against him in recent years and how drastically different their team looks now, that was a remarkably impressive display. It was an all-hands-on-deck approach but the team pulled it off.
Redick also acknowledged how well the team performed in the locker room postgame, which the team tweeted out on Sunday.
Believe in it. JJ has us ready to run through a wall pic.twitter.com/VYxoZUMEFj
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 23, 2025
While Rui deserves the praise, multiple Lakers stepped up. Jarred Vanderbilt had the most impactful foul-riddled seven-minute stint all season. LeBron and DFS also had successful stretches against Jokic, too.
In all, it was arguably the best win of the season and the best performance of the season. While it’s not possible for them to bring that level of execution on a nightly basis in the regular season, it does show what they could be capable of in a playoff series.
If they can perform at that level in the postseason, Saturday showed that they could be a team contending for a title.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.