Rui Hachimura

[payitforward]

Good to see they did their due diligence:

Read on Twitter

Those personal meetings are overrated.

What are you going to find about those guys at that point....

Except, of course, last year the argument was that it was great to pick Troy Brown Jr. because the personal meetings were so convincing.

[queridiculo]

Except, of course, last year the argument was that it was great to pick Troy Brown Jr. because the personal meetings were so convincing.

Made by whom, Sheppard?

[payitforward]

I just find it hard to believe that Hachimura, with a reported 7'2'' wingspan, with what...7 years of basketball experience, is somehow a worse prospect than a 23 year old Clarke with T-Rex Arms. ...

Uh huh. Tell me, did you watch either of them play? Have you looked at the numbers either of them posted?

Btw, Brandon Clarke is 22. He is 17 months older than Rui Hachimura. Unlike Rui, he is an outstanding basketball player.

[payitforward]

Except, of course, last year the argument was that it was great to pick Troy Brown Jr. because the personal meetings were so convincing.

Made by whom, Sheppard?

Made by the team; dunno by whom. Made here on this Board. Just like this year's argument.

[Ruzious]

At some point, the sarcasm unending list of bad picks, bad trades, bad FA signings, bad contract decisions, & bad results (32-50 in the 9th year of a total rebuild) really gets tiresome - even when I agree with your point of view. Notice i did not use green font there.

Fixed it for you -- & no green font.

Much better.

[Ruzious]

I just find it hard to believe that Hachimura, with a reported 7'2'' wingspan, with what...7 years of basketball experience, is somehow a worse prospect than a 23 year old Clarke with T-Rex Arms. ...

Uh huh. Tell me, did you watch either of them play? Have you looked at the numbers either of them posted?

Btw, Brandon Clarke is 22. He is 17 months older than Rui Hachimura. Unlike Rui, he is an outstanding basketball player.

I think he meant that with just 7 years basketball experience, Rui is bound to improve, and Rui is known for his work ethic, so it's possible. One thing about Rui is that he will work his arse off, and that's part of defense.

[payitforward]

Good, & I hope he does. & I hope he improves so that there is some chance for him to turn into a passable NBA journeyman. One day.

Until then he is what he is now. Not much.

[JWizmentality]

I just find it hard to believe that Hachimura, with a reported 7'2'' wingspan, with what...7 years of basketball experience, is somehow a worse prospect than a 23 year old Clarke with T-Rex Arms. ...

Uh huh. Tell me, did you watch either of them play? Have you looked at the numbers either of them posted?

Btw, Brandon Clarke is 22. He is 17 months older than Rui Hachimura. Unlike Rui, he is an outstanding basketball player.

I think he meant that with just 7 years basketball experience, Rui is bound to improve, and Rui is known for his work ethic, so it's possible. One thing about Rui is that he will work his arse off, and that's part of defense.

IMO Rui has much more raw talent than Clarke and he will adapt to the NBA much better. His work ethic is just gravy. Rooting hard for him as his #1 fan on this board.

[Rafael122]

I just find it hard to believe that Hachimura, with a reported 7'2'' wingspan, with what...7 years of basketball experience, is somehow a worse prospect than a 23 year old Clarke with T-Rex Arms. ...

Uh huh. Tell me, did you watch either of them play? Have you looked at the numbers either of them posted?

Btw, Brandon Clarke is 22. He is 17 months older than Rui Hachimura. Unlike Rui, he is an outstanding basketball player.

I think he meant that with just 7 years basketball experience, Rui is bound to improve, and Rui is known for his work ethic, so it's possible. One thing about Rui is that he will work his arse off, and that's part of defense.

That's what I meant. It's doubtful Clarke has another level to him at this point. If he does, I'll eat crow.

Rui started playing basketball at 13 in a country that isn't known to produce basketball players. All his flaws are valid, if he was a 4 year guy and he worked his way up through the AAU circuit, I'd have a problem with the pick because between his age and the fact that he would have been around basketball for awhile, he's probably not going to improve. I'm banking on the lack of experience and lack of organized basketball during his teenage years as the reason why he lacks court vision, doesn't have an impact on the defensive side despite having the length to do so, etc. All this stuff can be coached

If the Spurs traded up and picked him, it would have been "of course" or "if the Spurs liked him, we should have picked him!" This organization doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. I think it's a solid pick, I'm indifferent. I was a fan of trading down, but it is what it is at this point.

[Ruzious]

Uh huh. Tell me, did you watch either of them play? Have you looked at the numbers either of them posted?

Btw, Brandon Clarke is 22. He is 17 months older than Rui Hachimura. Unlike Rui, he is an outstanding basketball player.

I think he meant that with just 7 years basketball experience, Rui is bound to improve, and Rui is known for his work ethic, so it's possible. One thing about Rui is that he will work his arse off, and that's part of defense.

IMO Rui has much more raw talent than Clarke and he will adapt to the NBA much better. His work ethic is just gravy. Rooting hard for him as his #1 fan on this board.

His work ethic is what I'm pinning my hopes to, because he really needs to develop a 3 point shot and improve his D - and his chances are much improved if he works at them like a fill in the blank.

[bsilver]

The weird thing about Rui's rebounding is that it went down per 40 each consecutive season. Freshman year he wasn't playing big minutes and probably didn't have to shoulder significant offensive production so it was something he could put more energy towards. Sophomore year he played significantly more minutes. His last year he shared the court with Clarke, which I'm sure affected his rebounding rate a little, but still he needs to be told this is an area he needs to focus on. He doesn't have to be the 1st option at this levels so focus on one thing this team needs in excess, defensive rebounding. I'd be surprised if he is worse then Jeff Green in this regard.

I've wondered how much Clarke's presence affected his rebounding, but if you look at the per 40 stats, there's not much difference between his soph and junior season and he only shared the court with Clarke for the 18/19 season.

The Wizards seem fairly confident about it being a strength, I don't now why.

In addition to Clarke, looking at the team stats as a whole, may provide an explanation for Rui's rebounding numbers. Gonzaga was one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country, so maybe his role on the team was not to be top D rebounder. On the offensive side Gonzaga was the #1 FG% team in the country. That reduces the number of O rebounding chances.

I don't think one can say for sure whether he'll be a good rebounder.

[Dat2U]

Some people are so intent on being right that they'll root for the kid to fail to enhance their reputation. Personally, I didn't love the pick and wanted to trade down but I do hope I'm wrong.

Who is this directed to?

[queridiculo]

In addition to Clarke, looking at the team stats as a whole, may provide an explanation for Rui's rebounding numbers. Gonzaga was one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country, so maybe his role on the team was not to be top D rebounder. On the offensive side Gonzaga was the #1 FG% team in the country. That reduces the number of O rebounding chances.

I don't think one can say for sure whether he'll be a good rebounder.

Good point, the per 100 possession and 40 minute data doesn't show the ORB/DRB splits.

Looking at the the 2018/19 data has Clarke with 7.8 defensive rebounds per 40 and Hachimura with 6.8.

Not a huge a difference, and it also points to Clarke's rebounding (12.2 per 40) numbers perhaps being a bit overinflated by virtue of his offensive rebounding.

[prime1time]

This board cracks me up. Every prospect has ifs to their game. If Brandon Clarke can make 3's. If Brandon Clarke can guard big men. They said they had him 4th on their board. I guess we'll see how things shake out.

But for people who actually want to discuss Rui the prospect, I see 3 major things that will determine how good this pick is. 1) Can he extend his range at volume. He shot 40%+ this year but attempted less than 40 3's this season. He needs to get that number up. 2) Can he guard PnR switches. If I had to guess, he'll struggle against elite guards, but who doesn't. 3) What position does he end up guarding.

For a guy who started playing basketball at 14, his game is advanced. Watching him pump fake and triple threat I get the feeling that he was coached up well. HIs interior game already is very advanced. He will destroy teams in the post consistently that switch pick and rolls. He has a vast array of finishes around the hoop with both hands. He has a back to the basket game and can put down lobs. The people who don't like this pick are entitled to their opinion, but from just an hour of me watching tape we have a lot to work with. You don't start playing basketball at 14 and make the kind of strides Rui has made without being a hard worker. I think his floor is a solid role player, while his ceiling is an efficient 2nd or 3rd scorer.

On a side, I like the idea of Thomas Bryant and Rui playing together. Two highly skilled offensive big men. Hopefully they can bring enough on the defensive end to give us consistent rim protection. I also like that we are assembling a long team. Length is so important these days. Lastly, I like that I've heard multiple times that he's a hard worker and has a good head on his shoulders. The team is assembling a bunch of high character guys. That is important when it comes to creating a positive culture. All in all this pic, at the very least, seems like a solid single. And, although some on this board might think otherwise, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[Illuminaire]

Have rebounding percentages.

[prime1time]

Good, & I hope he does. & I hope he improves so that there is some chance for him to turn into a passable NBA journeyman. One day.

Until then he is what he is now. Not much.

He is already a passable NBA player. And it's not even close. Dude could stop onto the floor right now and score. Unless you have a player that's going to be a perennial all-star I don't even get your complaints.

[prime1time]

Have rebounding percentages.

I love that the assist percentage goes up. Really interested to see what he can do when he isn't asked to carry the brunt of the scoring load.

[I_Like_Dirt]

Btw, Brandon Clarke is 22. He is 17 months older than Rui Hachimura. Unlike Rui, he is an outstanding basketball player.

Rui is a pretty good player himself, but yeah, Clarke is better. Honestly, Clarke's fall strikes me as more odd than Rui going earlier than I expected. A lot of teams passed on Clarke and I'm not sure why.

To focus on Clarke specifically, everyone suggesting he doesn't have another gear, just take a look at how his game has grown year over year. It's been amazing. Rui, by contract, has largely seen his per minute numbers stay the same, just his minutes increase. And yes, Clarke has further he could go because he's already got some decent range on his jumper but he could add a bit more midrange and a 3 and he'd be utterly devastating. I'm okay with Rui at 9, but the Grizzlies look like they had the best draft nabbing Morant and Clarke.

[Ruzious]

This board cracks me up. Every prospect has ifs to their game. If Brandon Clarke can make 3's. If Brandon Clarke can guard big men. They said they had him 4th on their board. I guess we'll see how things shake out.

But for people who actually want to discuss Rui the prospect, I see 3 major things that will determine how good this pick is. 1) Can he extend his range at volume. He shot 40%+ this year but attempted less than 40 3's this season. He needs to get that number up. 2) Can he guard PnR switches. If I had to guess, he'll struggle against elite guards, but who doesn't. 3) What position does he end up guarding.

For a guy who started playing basketball at 14, his game is advanced. Watching him pump fake and triple threat I get the feeling that he was coached up well. HIs interior game already is very advanced. He will destroy teams in the post consistently that switch pick and rolls. He has a vast array of finishes around the hoop with both hands. He has a back to the basket game and can put down lobs. The people who don't like this pick are entitled to their opinion, but from just an hour of me watching tape we have a lot to work with. You don't start playing basketball at 14 and make the kind of strides Rui has made without being a hard worker. I think his floor is a solid role player, while his ceiling is an efficient 2nd or 3rd scorer.

On a side, I like the idea of Thomas Bryant and Rui playing together. Two highly skilled offensive big men. Hopefully they can bring enough on the defensive end to give us consistent rim protection. I also like that we are assembling a long team. Length is so important these days. Lastly, I like that I've heard multiple times that he's a hard worker and has a good head on his shoulders. The team is assembling a bunch of high character guys. That is important when it comes to creating a positive culture. All in all this pic, at the very least, seems like a solid single. And, although some on this board might think otherwise, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Point taken, though Clarke really doesn't need a 3, because he does other things exceptionally well that Rui doesn't.

[Illuminaire]

It's still not a good percentage, but I agree that the trendline is a positive one. His freshmen rebounding percentages are also pretty good.

He's a polarizing prospect because the hardware says he should be very good, but his software is glitchy. There's a long track record of people with that combination failing to meet expectations.

I think his floor is higher than the most negative people believe, but I don't have confidence that he'll come close to his ceiling either.