Rui Hachimura Reveals One Thing Lakers Must Do in Final Stretch

The Los Angeles Lakers earned their second straight win after easing past the Sacramento Kings 128-104 on Sunday night.

Los Angeles has split its last 10 games but sits in sixth place in the Western Conference standings, trailing the third-seeded Houston Rockets by 1.5 games.

Although the 2025-26 season has featured plenty of peaks and valleys, veteran forward Rui Hachimura remains confident that the Lakers can round into form as a legitimate NBA title contender, as he said after Sunday's blowout win.

Rui Hachimura Stresses 'Focus' for Lakers in Final Stretch of Season

Los Angeles Lakers Rui Hachimura — Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) controls the ball against Golden State Warriors center Al Horford (20) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“I think when we play good, like really good, we look like a championship team,” Hachimura said after win over Kings. “But we have a lot of times that we’re not, and we look like we’re just literally out of the playoffs team.

“We have to focus. It’s a long season, you know, it’s a long season, like you said. We’ve had a lot of injured guys in and out so we have a different rotation, different starting lineup. I think we have to focus on that part. We have to play together, play hard and that’s gonna be really good for us, staying consistent and we can look like a championship team all the time.”

Los Angeles looked like a formidable team against Sacramento on Sunday, pouncing to as much as a 30-point lead. They shot 50 percent from the floor and hit 46 percent from beyond the arc, while the entire starting lineup outside of Marcus Smart (nine points) scored in double figures.

The Lakers have proven themselves to be a playoff-caliber team, but their defensive struggles at times have raised lingering concerns. Los Angeles ranks 16th in points allowed per game (115.5), 26th in opponent field goal percentage (48.5), 19th in opponent three-point percentage (36.2), and 22nd in opponent assists per game (27.5).

There are also doubts regarding the roster construction being too top-heavy with no significant depth beyond their stars and starters. One of their glaring weaknesses this season has been a lack of bench scoring, ranking second-to-last at 29.5 points per game.

The Lakers rank 1st in turnover percentage since the allstar break while also increasing their passing and ball movement.

Clearly their offense has taken a leap, they just need to be consistent on defense. pic.twitter.com/f1Bgaz9YVX
— Lakers 24Eight (@lakers24ate) March 3, 2026

Los Angeles’ thin reliable depth, especially in the frontcourt, has also impacted their rebounding as the team ranks 28th with 40.9 rebounds per game. It’s been a slew of issues that have plagued them throughout much of the year, preventing them from truly jumping into the top four spots in the playoff seeding.

With around a month and a half remaining in the regular season, the Lakers do possess time to improve their play ahead of the playoffs, but the clock is ticking.