Rui Hachimura has become a Memphis Grizzlies killer

After yet another great game against the Grizzlies, it’s clear that Rui Hachimura takes it personal every time he matches up with Memphis.

On a list of NBA-related quotes that have aged poorly, Desmond Bane’s comments on Rui Hachimura after Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs are among the ones that have soured the most.

After Rui exploded for 29 points in a surprising Game 1 win by the Lakers in Memphis, Bane more or less chalked it up to a player having a career night and that it wouldn’t be replicated.

To borrow a line from Michael Jordan, Rui Hachimura took that personally.

Wednesday was the latest example of Rui taking personal umbrage with the Grizzlies as he tallied 19 points on 6-7 shooting with seven rebounds to help the Lakers remain unbeaten at home.

Dating back to that Game 1 meeting in the first round of the playoffs, it’s the seventh time Rui has scored double figures against the Grizzlies in the last 10 games. The Lakers are 8-2 against Memphis when Rui plays in that span.

“For me, it’s just, every game I try to play like that,” Rui said after yet another strong showing against Memphis. “The way they guard me, it’s just [allows] me to kind of get in a good rhythm. This game was very personal for us. We talked about it because we lost kind of bad last game. I didn’t play but that was in my head today’s game going in, I was kind of thinking about, ‘Ok, I want to help this team to win.’”

Seemingly every game against Memphis has been personal in some way for Rui since joining the Lakers.

Across that 10-game span, Rui has been uber-efficient. While he’s shot at least 75% in four-straight games, he’s also shot under 50% from the field just once. In total, he’s shooting an absurd 63/95 (66.3%) from the field and 28/39 (71.7%) from the 3-point line.

Rui has five games for the Lakers scoring at least 25 points in either the regular season or playoffs. Two of them have come against Memphis.

He has 16 games shooting at least 75% from the 3-point line. A quarter of them are against the Grizzlies.

Is there a way to bottle up Rui vs. Memphis and have him play that way each night? Maybe convince him each team is the Grizzlies but just in alternate jerseys each game?

Whatever the case, one of the most sure things in recent seasons has been Rui torching Memphis. Don’t worry, though, Desmond Bane. I’m sure this is just a one-time thing for Rui, right?

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.