Rui Hachimura

[closg00]

Watch on YouTube

[TGW]

Good to see they did their due diligence:

Read on Twitter

[queridiculo]

He's Antawn Jamison reincarnated. At #9, you could do a lot worse.

I'll note here that TSW had a do not draft on Reddish (iirc) and ATL took him one pick after Rui.

I was curious about that Hawks pick myself, but when you look at the roster that they have put together it sort of makes sense.

Reddish doesn't have to work out for them after getting their price in Hunter, it's a high stakes gamble that didn't really cost them when you consider that they essentially got the Dallas pick for free.

[queridiculo]

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 when you've already pored over the film, and have spoken to coaches and other people connected with the respective programs.

According to Aldridge the Wizards had a workout setup that got cancelled due to a scheduling conflict, and Sheppard himself said that he's personally spoken to him on a number of occasions as far back as two years ago.

[Shoe]

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.

Just reading the tea leaves, it sounds like Hachimura wasn't making it past Charlotte. Shep said they had offers for a trade down, my guess is the drop was steep enough that it wasn't worth it.

I think Nassir Little was brought in in case they did trade down in the draft. I think White was brought in b/c that whole situation was fluid, if Bulls had gone with Reddish I think White would have been ou rpick. I see posts about draft boards, I'm sure they had Zion/Barrett all ranked highly but I took it as their draft board based on who they thought would be available at 9.

Rui would've been more hyped if he went to the combine.

[nuposse04]

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.

[queridiculo]

Rui would've been more hyped if he went to the combine.

I'm pretty cynical about those decisions.

To me guys either skip because they're stone cold locks to go at the top and agents are simply saving their guys from the dog and pony show, or representation is worried about measurements tanking their stock.

How would things have turned out for Clarke if he declined an invite?

Wouldn't be surprised if Hachimura's speed and mobility were a red flag, and he's not exactly an exlosive leaper.

I would feel better about this pick if Washington had the center positioned locked up with a rebounding eraser on the defensive end and if I had faith in Hachimura spending time at the 3.

[queridiculo]

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.

[NatP4]

I think playing with Clarke probably did hurt his rebounding numbers.

[nuposse04]

I also think him actually expending a lot more energy on offense affected his rebounding as well. He needs to be able to do both, it should be emphasized by the coaches as the biggest need from him on the defensive end. Protect the defensive glass. Let Sato and beal make things easier for you on offense. I don't think he'll be a 10 rb pr 36 guy... but so long as he at the very least puts a body on a guy and makes an effort then I can forgive that as a deficiency. Brown, sato and Beal are good rebounding wings so hopefully they can help instill this in em.

[Ruzious]

I think playing with Clarke probably did hurt his rebounding numbers.

He's played with quality bigs his entire career - Zags are always loaded up front. Question is, does he block out - letting teammates get rebounds? How often did the Zagz get beat on the boards? Probably rarely. Not saying his rebounding isn't a negative, but I'm not sure how real the negative is for his team.

[payitforward]

I think he's across between Kawhi on D and Jamison on O. That's his floor. Dominated Zion. Will probably dominate LeBron too.

The question is Beal or Rui. If you could only choose one? I might go with Rui because he's a late bloomer and has a higher upside.

Agreed. The one thing you want in a high draft pick is a guy who, if he turns into something he's not, can be a good player -- assuming the "turns into" thing isn't, you know, in the other direction.

Plus, if the GM says "we got the guys we were hoping to get," that too is a good thing -- one thing you can be sure of if you're 100% the way we were is that you've done the right thing -- you've focused on a single player & made sure to take him before it would occur to someone else to take him &, you know, get in your way.

Obviously, in a situation like that you would never trade down, because trading down makes it harder to take a guy too high. Should be obvious.

Not to mention that people make such a big thing about how many games your team wins. What's important is that you show up on time for the start of those games -- that way people in the crowd will have enough time to get their hot dogs & beer.

As to good players, tell me this: do you need high quality hot dogs & outstanding beer? No. So why would you need that in your players?

[Ruzious]

At some point, the sarcasm really gets tiresome - even when I agree with your point of view. Notice i did not use green font there.

[80sballboy]

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.

[payitforward]

I think he's across between Kawhi on D and Jamison on O. That's his floor. Dominated Zion. Will probably dominate LeBron too.

The question is Beal or Rui. If you could only choose one? I might go with Rui because he's a late bloomer and has a higher upside.

Well, to engage in your sarcasm, I don't think he'll end up as good as Beal in his prime. And if you look at scouting reports he has question marks about his defense. At the same time, I don't understand why people get so up in arms because the team doesn't draft the player they want. How about we use this thread to analyze his strengths, his weaknesses and discuss where his game can realistically grow. Extremely sarcastic posts don't contribute much to the conversation/discussion.

No one is upset "because the team doesn't draft the player they want." People are upset because the team drafts players who aren't as good as other players who are available.

Admittedly, that might be hard to understand, but maybe this will help: it's a little bit like when the team signs free agents who aren't good for way too much money & too many seasons. Does that help you understand?

& here's another thing: if the team trades for, picks in the draft, signs as FAs, over and over, guys who you point out are not particularly good, aren't worth what we've signed them for, have been taken in place of better players, etc. etc. etc., & over and over again time shows that you are right in what you have said on those occasions, well, then maybe you can understand why eventually it gets a little bit frustrating & you are forced to be sarcastic, as you call it, as the only way left to express the prison-house situation of being a fan of a franchise owned by a pompous know-nothing & run by incompetents.

Perhaps you can understand as well that when the same Board participants proceed to show up over and over after each of these brain-dead choices by the team to express their positive responses & analyze what makes some mediocrity potentially just peachy a really swell player, what a deal we got in that trade, what a heads-up draft pick that was, what a lucky break to find & ink that FA before someone else, etc. etc. etc. that, while complaining that you are so foolish as to critique the move -- even though you've been right over and over and over through the years -- that eventually you lose your mind totally, abandon restraint, & actually treat the subject "sarcastically" i.e. like the utter shotshiw it is again and again.

Does that help?

[nuposse04]

All hail Wins Produced and the god of offensive rebounds! Shame the dissenters! Shame!

[payitforward]

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.

[payitforward]

All hail Wins Produced and the god of offensive rebounds! Shame the dissenters! Shame!

What's the last thing you were right about, do tell?

[payitforward]

He's a late bloomer. I think he'll be a solid contributing piece.

He's improved quite a bit, but I remember him when he was a freshman, and he showed offensive ability back then. He has definitely built his body up since he was a freshman - he's a lot stronger. The thing that stands out about him in a positive way is his unhesitating aggressiveness in going to the basket. He's a natural scorer, but he's not a natural shooter. He's got a relatively flat shot, so I'm not seeing how he's going to develop a 3 point shot without changing his jump shot mechanics. And I think he really needs to develop a 3 point shot - that's the quandry with picking him so high. I've watched a bunch of Zag games the last few years, and he's always seemed a step behind on defense, so I'm not optimistic about his D. And he's not going to dominate on the boards. So, what do you have there? I said before the draft, his strengths and weaknesses remind of Jabari Parker's, but Parker is more skilled while Rui is more aggressive/physical. Not the player I would have gone for. The Wiz should have traded down.

That's straight ahead & accurate. The analysis & the conclusion.

If
he changes his jump shot mechanics -- & that change works,
he develops a feel for the game
he learns to play some defense
he begins to rebound at a reasonable level,

then
he will prove to have been worth a R1 pick somewhere in the teens or twenties.

As it is, he's just another opportunity flushed.

[nuposse04]

All hail Wins Produced and the god of offensive rebounds! Shame the dissenters! Shame!

What's the last thing you were right about, do tell?

Well you've become the most insufferable member of this board since Hands left.

If you are asking basketball wise, that rivers was horrible trade, as was the Porter trade.

Still, I don't mind you inflexible player evaluations, just how caustic you are with others...is unbecoming. Might want to dabble in some introspection... that or watch some offensive rebounding clips by Clarke. Which other will calm you down more.