Rui Hachimura 2.0

[tleikheen]

No matter how long you ride a hobbyhorse, you still don't get anywhere.

Looking at you....,who are you that doesnt even have a BB comment ,lame.

[payitforward]

What is Rui's role on the team? Instead of focusing on who he's playing with focus on role.

Maybe we can start by focusing on what he does & the results of what he does?
8 defensive boards in 33 minutes -- that's good.
2 offensive boards in 33 minutes -- that's good.
4 assists in 33 minutes -- that's good.

13 shots resulting in 10 points -- that's not good, it's bad.
No trips to the line in 33 minutes -- that's bad too.

I don't need to know who Rui is playing with to know that it's good if he gets 10 rebounds in 33 minutes.
I don't need to know who Rui is playing with to know that it's good if he gets 4 assists in 33 minutes.

I also don't need to know Rui's "role" to know that those things are good.

Similarly, I don't need to know either who he's playing with or what his role is to know that making only 5 of 13 FGAs while never getting to the line is bad.

&, when I look at all the things Rui has done in those 33 minutes overall, I don't need to know his role or who he played with to know whether, overall, Rui had a good outing.

Against Philly, KP posted 30 points on 13 FGAs & 11 FTAs. I need no other information to know that KP scored extremely well that night. I don't need to know his role to know that 11-11 at the line is good.

[payitforward]

No matter how long you ride a hobbyhorse, you still don't get anywhere.

Looking at you....,who are you that doesnt even have a BB comment ,lame.

Oh yeah... ride 'im cowboy!

[payitforward]

You know... maybe it'd be better if we both hope for good things from Rui than to carp at each other. So, you have my apology for the hobbyhorse analogy -- & anyway, we all every one of us have our hobbyhorses!

Peace!

[prime1time]

What is Rui's role on the team? Instead of focusing on who he's playing with focus on role.

Maybe we can start by focusing on what he does & the results of what he does?
8 defensive boards in 33 minutes -- that's good.
2 offensive boards in 33 minutes -- that's good.
4 assists in 33 minutes -- that's good.

13 shots resulting in 10 points -- that's not good, it's bad.
No trips to the line in 33 minutes -- that's bad too.

I don't need to know who Rui is playing with to know that it's good if he gets 10 rebounds in 33 minutes.
I don't need to know who Rui is playing with to know that it's good if he gets 4 assists in 33 minutes.

I also don't need to know Rui's "role" to know that those things are good.

Similarly, I don't need to know either who he's playing with or what his role is to know that making only 5 of 13 FGAs while never getting to the line is bad.

&, when I look at all the things Rui has done in those 33 minutes overall, I don't need to know his role or who he played with to know whether, overall, Rui had a good outing.

Against Philly, KP posted 30 points on 13 FGAs & 11 FTAs. I need no other information to know that KP scored extremely well that night. I don't need to know his role to know that 11-11 at the line is good.

Lol, why quote and respond to me if you're just going to ignore everything I said? This board is something else.

[dckingsfan]

trading Rui is making the Wiz into a minor league team ,our young talent blooming with smart teams while we get older

Not necessarily, it depends what we get for Rui. For example, I'd trade Rui for Usman Garuba in a heart bit and never think twice. Garuba is a defensive monster with a high basketball IQ. He would fit like a glove with a stretch 5 such as Porzingis. Obviously, you would think Houston has a better front office than us...but maybe there is a small chance they get blinded by the $$$$ marketing appeal of Rui?

This. I wouldn't think that Houston would give up Garuba unless assets came along with the trade. But he was one of my favorites in that draft.

[Dat2U]

It does matter who you play with ...all the time,ignorant to think otherwise. I see sh*t defense played by Morris ,Beal,Kuz ,and Barton that get unsaid and then all blame goes to Rui. Since the beginning of training camp his team mates have raved about him and he has delivered in his role and his bullying his way to baskets gets the opposing teams attn. The Wiz have no one else on the roster like him. The changing of the team is starting as the roll out of KP ,Beal ,Kuz ,Rui, and Deni wont be the 1st time we see them play as the Wiz best lineup.

KP & Deni are the only ones that will give a decent effort defensively. Beal & Kuz aren't terrible but generally their marginal at best and their effort consistently wains. Morris & Rui are probably the worst offenders. Morris simply can't defend the position and Rui has the spacial awareness of a Rhino. Rui can try hard all he wants, there are just clear limitations with how he sees the floor.

[JWizmentality]

It does matter who you play with ...all the time,ignorant to think otherwise. I see sh*t defense played by Morris ,Beal,Kuz ,and Barton that get unsaid and then all blame goes to Rui. Since the beginning of training camp his team mates have raved about him and he has delivered in his role and his bullying his way to baskets gets the opposing teams attn. The Wiz have no one else on the roster like him. The changing of the team is starting as the roll out of KP ,Beal ,Kuz ,Rui, and Deni wont be the 1st time we see them play as the Wiz best lineup.

KP & Deni are the only ones that will give a decent effort defensively. Beal & Kuz aren't terrible but generally their marginal at best and their effort consistently wains. Morris & Rui are probably the worst offenders. Morris simply can't defend the position and Rui has the spacial awareness of a Rhino. Rui can try hard all he wants, there are just clear limitations with how he sees the floor.

You still have to put the ball in the basket to win. Something Deni can't do consistently.

[Frichuela]

trading Rui is making the Wiz into a minor league team ,our young talent blooming with smart teams while we get older

Not necessarily, it depends what we get for Rui. For example, I'd trade Rui for Usman Garuba in a heart bit and never think twice. Garuba is a defensive monster with a high basketball IQ. He would fit like a glove with a stretch 5 such as Porzingis. Obviously, you would think Houston has a better front office than us...but maybe there is a small chance they get blinded by the $$$$ marketing appeal of Rui?

This. I wouldn't think that Houston would give up Garuba unless assets came along with the trade. But he was one of my favorites in that draft.

Agreed. Maybe Rui+Gafford+Todd can be traded to them for Garuba+ something (e.g. Bruno Fernando). I mean if Houston's front office is competent they'll refuse...but you never know...

[CobraCommander]

Reading this thread....have you guys given up on Rui?

[Dark Faze]

Reading this thread....have you guys given up on Rui?

Yes.

The only argue for keeping him is the 5% chance that you extend him at incredible value and he then suddenly explodes, outperforming the contract. That's a hail mary swing.

If you have to pay market value for him, then he's easily replaced.

[FAH1223]

Rui can't defend off the ball. His team defense remains subpar.

And yeah he has been able to get buckets but he's still a ball stopper who doesn't see open teammates.

[CobraCommander]

This Rui wasn’t bad…right

[JWizmentality]

This Rui wasn’t bad…right

Nope he had 0 ast. So he's trash.

[BearlyBallin]

Read on Twitter

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Read on Twitter

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Good to see Rui laughing after the game he had, hope to see him have a few more of these.

[nate33]

Hachimura's last 3 games...18 ppg on 57.8% from the field. And tonight his on/off was a team-high +20. Crazy how many people on this board think he's not even an NBA caliber talent lol.

Rui is absolutely an NBA caliber talent. He'll definitely stick around for a 2nd contract and probably play 8-10 years in this league. The question is, is he anything more than a replaceable guy? Is he better than a less-than-MLE free agent available in any given summer? So far, I'd say the answer to that is no.

Take Derrick Jones Jr., for instance. He is a random journeyman forward who is always available in free agency and usually plays well enough to help out the depth of a decent team. He is just 1 year older than Rui. Chicago signed him as an unrestricted free agent this summer for $3.2M. Compare his production this season to Rui's: https://stathead.com/tiny/hUeVg Other guys like Sam Hauser and Eddie House Jr. were also available as UFA's, and have put up comparable numbers to Rui. And if we were a contending team, there would be even better veteran free agents available for the MLE, guys like Nicholas Batum, Otto Porter or Kyle Anderson.

I don't want to pee in anyone's Cheerios. I'm just trying my best to be objective. As I said in another thread earlier, Rui is no longer a young player. He is 24 years old and getting real close to WYSIWYG territory. I don't think we can project significant improvement going forward, unless it happens real soon. On the season, Rui is actually underperforming his production from last year. He needs to be better than last year for him to be more than an 8th man on a good team. He has played quite a bit better in the last 3 games. Let's hope that continues.

[tleikheen]

I don't want to pee in anyone's Cheerios. I'm just trying my best to be objective. As I said in another thread earlier, Rui is no longer a young player. He is 24 years old and getting real close to WYSIWYG territory. I don't think we can project significant improvement going forward,

This is phoney analysis ..... while we watch the 27 yr old Kuz go from being a 16/17 ppg game player to knowing and thinking he could be even better and then showing it . Before our eyes we see Hachimura go at everyone knowing he can bully or finesse his way to the basket over and over at a 50 per cent clip .Why would anyone but the anti Rui's think different.
Up to last nights game I've seen Barton and Kuz always looking away from Rui in games looking for their own basket.But Kuz looked for Rui and we saw a budding twosome building between them .
We wont see that with Barton ....he and his under 40 per cent gunning needs to be moved in a trade. But Rui is ascending as is Kuz and with more playing time with Rui and Kuz I think Deni will start having success . Ive always advocated the Wiz will win when Rui,Kuz,Deni ,KP and Beal play together at the same time.

[prime1time]

Hachimura's last 3 games...18 ppg on 57.8% from the field. And tonight his on/off was a team-high +20. Crazy how many people on this board think he's not even an NBA caliber talent lol.

Rui is absolutely an NBA caliber talent. He'll definitely stick around for a 2nd contract and probably play 8-10 years in this league. The question is, is he anything more than a replaceable guy? Is he better than a less-than-MLE free agent available in any given summer? So far, I'd say the answer to that is no.

Take Derrick Jones Jr., for instance. He is a random journeyman forward who is always available in free agency and usually plays well enough to help out the depth of a decent team. He is just 1 year older than Rui. Chicago signed him as an unrestricted free agent this summer for $3.2M. Compare his production this season to Rui's: https://stathead.com/tiny/hUeVg Other guys like Sam Hauser and Eddie House Jr. were also available as UFA's, and have put up comparable numbers to Rui. And if we were a contending team, there would be even better veteran free agents available for the MLE, guys like Nicholas Batum, Otto Porter or Kyle Anderson.

I don't want to pee in anyone's Cheerios. I'm just trying my best to be objective. As I said in another thread earlier, Rui is no longer a young player. He is 24 years old and getting real close to WYSIWYG territory. I don't think we can project significant improvement going forward, unless it happens real soon. On the season, Rui is actually underperforming his production from last year. He needs to be better than last year for him to be more than an 8th man on a good team. He has played quite a bit better in the last 3 games. Let's hope that continues.

It's just funny how the goalpost keeps moving. One day it's one thing. The next day it's another thing. It's like whack-a-mole with these arguments. So let's break it down. When you draft a player and you develop him, he's supposed to match the identity of your organization. Second, Hachimura has years of chemistry with our team. Where does chemistry fit into your analysis of replacement players?

Most important is the fact that Rui commands the focus of the defense and double teams. This is the biggest flaw in your logic. You look at stats and say player x = player y. How many defenses double-team Eddie House Jr? How many defenses double-team Derrick Jones Jr? Those guys are self-checks who have no offensive skill. They cannot be compared to Hachimura. Rui right now is good enough to be the 6th man on a championship team. Hachimura's offensive success this season is actually very impressive. Especially given the fact that we are such a bad 3-point shooting team. So far this season the Wizards are 28th in the league in 3-point %. Yet Rui is just chugging along, efficiently scoring.

I'm going to tell you something you might not know. Most players in the league cannot score efficiently in 1-on-1 situations. They need the star on their team to set them up and then they can score. So what happens when the star that generates offense goes on the bench? The offense dies. You can look at stats and speak all you want to about how Hachimura is a replacement-level player. Yesterday's game is a testament to the fact that he is the prototypical 6th man scorer off the bench. No Beal, no Porzingis and Rui has his most efficient game of the season. How many replacement-level players can handle being the main focus of the defense for any stretch of the game?

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=NBA

6:35 Mavs send the double team on Rui. He'll get no credit for the basket but the truth is that his skill level is what forced the Mavs to send the double team. And ultimately, what led to the open 3 in the corner.

[prime1time]

As much as people try to push the narrative that Rui doesn't improve, is mentally unaware and ultimately a borderline player fringe rotation player on a good team the reality is that the tape doesn't matter. Hachimura has had higher-scoring games, but yesterday was one of his most impressive performances. The way Hachimura moved without the ball offensively was simply spectacular. By doing this he makes the game so easy for himself and it is why he ended up 9/14. Could have been even better but he missed some bunnies near the rim.

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=ZHHighlights

Let's go through this highlight. First scoring player, Hachimura gets the switch onto a smaller defender and turns it into an easy layup. Next time down, Dallas adjusts and brings help. As Morris' goes to the opposing corner, his defender stays in the paint to help on Rui. In fact it turns into a triple team as Dinwiddie helps off his man. On a side, this is Rui's biggest weakness. Inability to read in a dynamic way how the defense is trying to defend him. Luckily, bad defense from the Mavs leads to a Rui bucket. But make no mistake, when Rui was elevating every Mav defender has his foot in the paint. This just shows the respect that opposing teams show to Hachimura.

41 seconds, Rui shows how his game has evolved. He comes off a flare screen for an open 3 and knocks it down. His 3-point % is down on the year but he's still a 35.6% 3-point shooter. And is coming off a year where he was scorching hot from 3. My analysis regarding Rui has been consistent from the day we've drafted him. Hachimura needs to knock down 3's. If he does that there's a place for him in the NBA.

The play at 48 seconds shows Rui's evolution. The play called for him to go to the corner, but he understood the weakness of the defense and just hung out near the hoop and got an easy layup. This is not a play that Hachimura would have made before this season. Again next play same thing. Putting himself in a position to get an easy dunk. Play after that, same thing. Play after that, again same thing.

Wes needs to use the Rui/Kuz lineup much much more. It's tough to make declarative statements off on one game, but if I had to guess, this chemistry is probably something was sparked by Kuz and something that they have done in practice. It's one thing for the coach to tell a player to move without the ball. It's another thing when the main ballhandler on the floor is telling said player and then actively making an effort to get him the ball. It's a bad comparison but in this context Kuz is basically functioning like a great pass first pg of old. When people play with Stockton or Kidd or Nash or Magic they just naturally learn to move because they know that the pg can get them the ball.

[prime1time]

Criticizing Rui for less production this year, is actually hilarious. He's playing with Beal and Porzingis now. Both guys who take a significant amount of shots. Because Rui missed the first part of the season last year, he actually didn't play many games with Beal. So to now turn that around and use it as a criticism, is just an attempt to backwards rationalize one's disdain for Hachimura. If it was a player they liked, they would easily see the flaw in this reasoning. But because it's a player that they have already finalized their conclusion about, all we end up getting is bad faith arguments. I'd also point out that Rui is averaging a career high in rebounds as displayed by his Per 36 numbers. If Rui can get his 3-point % to where it was last year, I think we'll be talking about him as a contender for the 6th man of the year award.

Lastly, that short flash of Rui and Kuz shows just how badly the Wizards need a pg. The vast majority of players on this team - regardless of what people believe - cannot efficiently create offense the way Hachimura can. Without having players that can set them up offesnively, they end up contributing very little to the offensive effort.