prime1time wrote:Dat2U wrote:To me the obvious move is to deal Rui as we have 4 other PFs on the roster. Yes, he has improved his 3-ball and as a perimeter defender but the rest of his game is still a work in progress. The awareness is still poor when it comes to defensive rotations or seeing the floor offensively which mutes his impact. I don't think he rebounds well enough as a 4 either. I don't see a breakout coming considering the crowded roster and lack of aggression from him. Nor do I see much benefit in extending him so moving him for any type of asset feels like a now or never scenario.
The obsession this board has with trading Rui is fascinating. Unless we are going to bring back something of real value I have no desire to trade him. Even the complaints - he lacks awareness/he doesn't know where to be/he doesn't rebound well enough - strike me as bizarre. Rui at worst is a defender that you don't have to hide and just showed significant improvement from 3-point range. To say that you don't see the chance for improvement is fascinating to me.
Given his improved shooting, teams will have to run him off the 3-point line. This will open the rest of his offensive game and make everything much easier. Instead of driving in and taking contested long 2's, he will start to shoot more 3's. If the team closes out hard on him at the 3-point line, he should pump fake and drive-in, now taking a wide-open mid-range jumper. Barring trade Rui should be the starting PF on this team. Outside of Beal and Porzingis, he is the one guy that projects as an efficient scorer. Does he process the game as quick as would be ideal? No. But on that front he has shown consistent improvement.
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Look at this play at 1:31. He pumpfakes, Toppin jumps, Rui drives kicks to Gill, relocates to the 3-point line and knocks down the 3. The next play they trap Avdija (something that teams have done to Beal for years) Rui relocates up and knocks down the 3. The previous two plays before 1:31, Rui takes Arcidiacno off the dribble and Sims off the dribble. The whole video is just a showcase as to how tough it is to guard Hachimura.
With his improved 3-point shooting, Rui has the ability to score at all 3 levels. Only a handful of teams will have good enough defenders to really be able to effectivelyand guard Beal, Porzingis and still put a capable defender onto Rui. Now that he have more capable guards, Rui will be able to get back into his pick and roll or pick and pop game, and continue to just rack up easy points. If his 3-point shooting holds up, Rui projects as a player who will finish the season shooting 50% plus from the field.
As Rui continues to refine his game, his offense only stands to improve. The skill is already there, now it's a matter of figuring out when to do what. And the coach placing him in positions to be successful. So far from the belief that Rui can't improve, the reality is that Rui could be an easy 20 ppg scorer on great efficiency. How many players can we say that about on this team?
And here's the real truth, all the negatives that you mentioned are things that can be improved with good coaching. Look at Nick Young - he lacked awareness. He has a NBA Championship. Look at Javale McGee, he lacked awareness. Now he has 3 championships. You don't just get rid of guys who can score efficiently at volume. It's the most important attribute an NBA player can have.
Of course that's just as true of you as it is of me! 
