A single lineup stat has exposed arguably one of the biggest problems the Los Angeles Lakers are facing right now, and it points straight at Rui Hachimura being a liability in his current role.
The Lakers have a staggering +22.2 in net rating when the Lakers’ starters are on the floor without Hachimura. That is an alarming stat in itself.
This does not mean Rui is a bad player. Far from it. He has been one of the Lakers’ most efficient players this season, averaging 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, shooting 52.2% from the field and 44.3% from 3-point range. But the NBA is not just about talent; it’s also about basketball fit. And right now, the Lakers’ starting lineup is facing a massive hole that keeps sinking them every night.
With Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Rui on the floor together, the Lakers simply do not have an athletic wing defender who can take on elite scorers. LeBron, at age 40, can still defend in moments, but he cannot do it possession after possession. Luka has never been that defender. Rui, meanwhile, is being asked to do something he has never been great at: consistently guard the opponent’s best perimeter threat.
That leaves the Lakers exposed at the point of attack and in rotation. Teams hunt that weakness early, get downhill easily, and force the defense to collapse. From there, it is open threes, late closeouts, and scrambled possessions. This is why so many Lakers losses are blowouts by the third quarter.
Former All-Star John Wall put it bluntly when he suggested a significant lineup change.
“Rui’s great, but he’s not supposed to be guarding the best player every night. That’s what you got a Marcus Smart or a Jarred Vanderbilt for.”
That brings us to the obvious solution: Marcus Smart.
Starting Smart will have major benefits for the Lakers.
First and foremost, the Lakers get a premier point-of-attack defender who can pressure ball handlers, fight over screens, and disrupt rhythm.
It also allows LeBron James to pick his spots on the defensive end, which could address his recent effort issues as well.
And Smart does not need to score 10-15 points every night. The superstars can take care of that. What the Lakers need is someone to set the tone of the defensive end, something that they desperately need. When your stars are offense-first, and your center is a drop big, the wing defender becomes the glue. Right now, that glue is missing.
This is also not about benching Rui permanently. He still has real value as a scorer against second units, where his size and efficiency matter more, and his defensive weaknesses are less exposed. In that role, he can thrive instead of being set up to fail.
The Lakers do not have the luxury of waiting for the trade deadline to fix everything. Starting Marcus Smart is a low-risk, high-reward adjustment they can make right now. Until they acquire another athletic wing defender from the market, this is the cleanest way to stabilize the lineup.
That +22.2 stat is not just ‘interesting.’ It is screaming the same message over and over. The Lakers’ current starting lineup does not work defensively with Rui Hachimura in that role. Ignoring it would be stubborn. Acting on it would be smart basketball.