Thunder's Chet Holmgren compares Rui Hachimura to Michael Jordan

If the Los Angeles Lakers are to have any chance of upsetting the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, they will have to get an all-hands-on-deck effort with Luka Doncic still out indefinitely due to a hamstring strain.

They're going up against one of basketball's best defenses in recent memory, which means everyone needs to step up offensively. One man who will need to produce at a high level is forward Rui Hachimura, who, at times, played very well during the first round versus the Houston Rockets. In that series, he had an average of 15.8 points a game, and he shot 54.3% from the field and 58.6% from 3-point range.

Thunder big man Chet Holmgren gave Hachimura some praise when he compared the forward to Michael Jordan — sort of.

“Something about those Gonzaga guys. He's a talented guy. He plays a little bit like Japanese Jordan sometimes when you see the turnaround and stuff.

... He can really make shots and make shots in bunches if you let him, so you can let him get any easy ones.”

Holmgren, like Hachimura, played his college ball at Gonzaga University, so perhaps he's a bit biased. But Hachimura's ability to not only be a laser from beyond the arc but also score one-on-one, especially from the mid-range area, will be a sizable key for Los Angeles in this upcoming series.