Rui Hachimura, the do-it-all, athletic small forward spoke on why he believes his Los Angeles Lakers are facing a three-to-nothing deficit against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Hachimura was acquired via trade in late January 2023 from the Washington Wizards, and he was brought in to contribute to a Lakers roster featuring two NBA 75th Anniversary Team members LeBron James and Anthony Davis, that made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season. Of course, that Lakers team would end up being swept by this same Nuggets roster.
In a way, this contributes to why Hachimura believes that the Nuggets have an innate advantage over the Lakers. When Hachimura spoke to the media this past Sunday, Lakers reporter Michael Corvo shared a segment of Hachimura’s media availability where the former Wizard voiced his opinions on why the Nuggets are now close to their second sweep of the Lakers in back-to-back playoff matchups.