{"id":134637,"date":"2025-04-15T16:52:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T20:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=134637"},"modified":"2025-04-15T16:52:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T20:52:47","slug":"lakers-playoffs-x-factors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/15\/lakers-playoffs-x-factors\/","title":{"rendered":"4 X-Factors for the Lakers in the Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the 2025 NBA playoffs approach, so do the expectations for many contenders, including the Los Angeles Lakers. B<\/span>ut with all eyes on Luka Doncic<\/a> and <\/span>LeBron James<\/span><\/a> to lead the Lakers to glory, there are several other players LA will rely on to bring home banner no. 18.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 X-Factors for the Lakers in the Playoffs<\/b><\/h2>\n

Austin Reaves<\/b><\/h3>\n

Austin Reaves<\/span><\/a>\u2019 meteoric rise over the years is certainly no fluke, and his efforts only grew next to LeBron and Luka. Across 73 games this season, the fourth-year guard put up a career-high 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game on .460\/.377\/.877 splits. He put up <\/span>similar numbers<\/span><\/a> (21 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.8 APG) once the Lakers got Doncic. Reaves\u2019 heroics have even put him into Most Improved Player conversations, <\/span>an effort spearheaded by James<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Laker fans are already familiar with Reaves\u2019 gear switch come playoff time, when he burst onto the scene during LA\u2019s run to the 2023 Western Conference Finals. This time around, even with two brilliant offensive minds next to him, Reaves needs to flash his two-way skillset and force rivals to think twice about leaving him open. His success without the two stars will be just as critical, as he\u2019ll be the top option in certain lineups. Reaves has a chance to cap off a special season with elite playoff performances, a challenge he won\u2019t shy away from.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dorian Finney-Smith<\/b><\/h3>\n

One of the Lakers\u2019 midseason acquisitions, the team\u2019s identity shifted when they traded for <\/span>Dorian Finney-Smith<\/span><\/a>. DFS has become one of the Lakers\u2019 primary 3&D options, capable of thriving in the second unit or the starting lineup. In 43 games (20 starts) for the Lakers, he averaged 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.9 steals while shooting nearly 40% from three.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finney-Smith is no stranger to the Western Conference playoffs, which is why his experience and playing style are vital for the purple and gold (not to mention, his chemistry with Doncic). His shooting is an obvious help for the Lakers, but his willingness to pick up opposing wings will be huge for a team that\u2019s fluctuated defensively. Against the <\/span>Timberwolves<\/span><\/a>, Finney-Smith will likely guard <\/span>Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Jaylen Clark<\/span><\/a> off the bench. However, he could also face <\/span>Jaden McDaniels<\/span><\/a> or even <\/span>Anthony Edwards<\/span><\/a> in certain situations. No matter the case, Finney-Smith appears ready for the task at hand, and his ability to secure stops should go a long way toward the team\u2019s success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jaxson Hayes<\/b><\/h3>\n

Thrust into the spotlight after the departure of <\/span>Anthony Davis<\/span><\/a>, starting big man <\/span>Jaxson Hayes<\/span><\/a> has a golden opportunity to prove doubters wrong. The ex-Texas center became a <\/span>key beneficiary of the Doncic trade<\/span><\/a>. Across 25 games with Luka, <\/span>Hayes averaged<\/span><\/a> eight points (76.5% FG), 5.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.9 blocks per game, serving as a viable rim protector and lob threat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hayes\u2019 athleticism and energy should be on full display throughout the playoffs, first against <\/span>Rudy Gobert<\/span><\/a> and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers will be asking a lot of Hayes, who will match up against a four-time Defensive Player of the Year as their only true 7-footer. The 24-year-old recognized the tail end of the season as an <\/span>opportunity to \u201cmake a name for [himself],\u201d<\/span><\/a> and he should keep that mindset intact for the postseason. Hayes\u2019 biggest priorities will be continuing his efficiency at the rim and containing Minnesota\u2019s bigs. If he can do those things effectively, his name will be one fans won\u2019t soon forget.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rui Hachimura<\/b><\/h3>\n

Finally, the Lakers will need another strong postseason from <\/span>Rui Hachimura<\/span><\/a>. Even with the team\u2019s changes, Hachimura\u2019s play has stayed relatively consistent. Despite a lingering <\/span>left knee injury<\/span><\/a>, he managed to put up 13.1 points and five rebounds per game on .509\/.413\/.770 splits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hachimura\u2019s biggest contributions come from his shooting and rebounding, and he should bring his A-game to both departments for the Lakers to succeed. Similar to DFS, Rui brings immense value as a 3&D player, with his <\/span>perimeter shooting taking a significant leap this year<\/span><\/a>. His ability to crash the glass is just as important, as he\u2019s capable of creating second chances or taking them away from opponents. Time will tell how he manages his injury in the playoffs, but <\/span>as he\u2019s proven in the past<\/span><\/a>, Hachimura can be a spark plug in any lineup. Having his offensive firepower alongside James and Doncic could be a difference-maker down the stretch.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word on Lakers X-Factors<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Lakers have plenty of players capable of stepping up in the playoffs, but keep an eye on these four next LeBron and Luka as LA eyes a deep run with a Hollywood ending.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the 2025 NBA playoffs approach, so do the expectations for many contenders, including the Los Angeles Lakers. But with all eyes on Luka Doncic and LeBron James to lead the Lakers to glory, there are several other players LA will rely on to bring home banner no. 18. 4 X-Factors for the Lakers in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":134639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,26,62],"tags":[4556,2272,1962,38,1133,1749],"class_list":["post-134637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-nba","tag-austin-reaves","tag-dorian-finney-smith","tag-jaxson-hayes","tag-lebron-james","tag-luka-doncic","tag-rui-hachimura"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134637"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134646,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134637\/revisions\/134646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}