Rui Hachimura

[JWizmentality]

Keep it simple: so far it's been a lot of fun to watch Rui.

The nerve of you to put limits on our fawning of Rui. You will drink this kool aid and like it or gtfo.

[prime1time]

Rui's game is like that old parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant.

It was six men of Indostan,
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approach'd the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, -"Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear,
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approach'd the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," -quoth he- "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," -quoth he,-
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said- "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," -quoth he,- "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Right now everyone is kind of groping for who Rui is because he hasn't had one game where he has put everything together. So they watch one game and say he's a mid-range scorer. Then they watch some of his college tape and say, he's a low post bruiser. Then they look at his length and size and say, oh he's similar to Giannis. None of these answers are necessarily wrong. But they don't capture the whole player that Rui is.

Granted yesterday's game was against a non-team, there are still things that we can glean from it to better understand Rui's game.

Watch on YouTube

The two main takeaways I had yesterday was Rui on the offensive glass and Rui finally using his length. Only time will tell if the attacking of the offensive glass is a routine thing but he did it yesterday and he was effective. More importantly, though, yesterday was the first time I can recall Rui using his size and length to attack the basket. At 1:15 Rui grabs the rebound and initiate's the fastbreak.

I already talked about the pull-up 3 off the dribble that teams will give him all day. But what's interesting about this play is that Rui doesn't settle for a wide-open mid-range jumper. All throughout the draft process, we heard that Rui is a mid-range guy who's game doesn't translate. If Rui wanted to he could have easily pulled-up for a mid-range jumper. But he doesn't. Instead, he long strides for a euro-step layup. He picks up his dribble at 1:20, plants his right foot just inside the ft line takes a long stride to his left foot and then lays the ball in with his left hand. This is a big play because it's the first time I've seen Rui utilize his length to such an effect.

Now, that play is Giannis-esque but at 6'11 with a 7'3 wingspan, Rui and Giannis aren't that comparable. The better comparison is to Ben Simmons who's 6'10 and has a 7'0 wingspan. Look at how easily Simmons gets to the basket. Simmons is probably a half-step to a full step quicker than Rui but I think the comparison holds none the less. Once Rui starts to long stride more, he'll be even tougher to stop. Combine that with his pull-up jumper and now you have an offensive force.

Like I said before FIBA, one of these days Rui's going to have a game where he puts it all together and then people will truly get how good he can be.

[prime1time]

A good write up in The Athletic about Rui, because my posts are probably too optimistic. Not going to quote the whole thing, but I'll quote his criticisms and an interesting statistic.

Obviously, the jump shot is also a concern. The numbers don’t look bad, particularly from the midrange. He hit 51 percent of his 49 pull-up jumpers this season, mostly from the midrange. So there is some real hope, there. I broke it down earlier this summer for Fred Katz and The Athletic DC site. Here’s what I said then:

“Hachimura has always seemed a lot more comfortable to me shooting off the dribble as opposed to shooting directly off the catch because his shot doesn’t have a ton of arc. He tends to play very upright, and when he takes jumpers off the dribble, his favored move is to get to his step-back (particularly to the left). Taking that step back allows him to get some natural leg bend, and it helps him with the arc and the touch of his shot. I pulled some shots of Hachimura below from over the last year at all levels.

“What you see in Las Vegas are the same problems as at Gonzaga. Ultimately, concerns about Hachimura’s jumper come down to two factors: the inconsistent hitch that he occasionally gets at the top, and his balance. Let’s start with the latter first, because I think it’s the biggest problem but also more fixable. A jumper starts with shot preparation, balance and footwork. With Hachimura, there’s a real lack of consistency there. In part, it’s that lack of bend mentioned above. Too often, he doesn’t engage his lower half enough to get power on his shot, which means it’s all coming from his arms. I think that’s why you sometimes see the hitch at the top. Sometimes, he needs the split-second load to get a bit more power on the shot to get it to the basket. When he’s leaning back, or just slightly off from wrong-footing the jumper, he’ll often leave the ball short on the front of the rim. But when he takes a really solid hop-step into the action, the shot looks smooth and fluid. When he’s balanced and gets some bend from his knees, the hitch irons itself out a bit and it looks much more like the one-motion jumper coaches strive to get for their players.

“So what does that mean for Washington? Well, it means that I think Hachimura has a chance to shoot it at a reasonable clip at some point. But it’s going to be a project, and it might look kind of ugly early on as he works through these things.”

“Project” applies to a lot of Hachimura’s game. Defensively, he was always a bit of a problem at Gonzaga. It wasn’t a disaster in his junior year, but his lack of attentiveness off-ball and inconsistency in making the right rotation did stand out. There are also some concerns here about him consistently being put out on an island against guards on the perimeter, because sometimes he can get heavy feet laterally.

At the top of this, I called Hachimura something of an “all-or-nothing” player. The reason I say that is because I do think there is a chance that this just all works, and Hachimura becomes a legitimately high-level scorer. His athleticism and length will allow him to create mismatches. If the shot comes along, it’s going to be really hard for defenses to guard him because he’ll really be able to keep them off-balance. But if it doesn’t really work, then things could get tricky. He’s someone who can create offense for himself through hard work, but without the jumper, he’s basically a small-ball 5 man because of the lack of spacing or playmaking he provides. Honestly, I think Washington should utilize him that way a bit anyway, but the lack of a jumper could really limit him to that role on offense, as opposed to making him versatile. Then on defense, if he can’t provide resistance on that end of the floor, where does he provide value?

[payitforward]

Rui is a rookie. What's the best you ask of a rookie in his first few games? To look good. Rui has looked good. For the rest, he's a work in progress in every aspect of his game -- be awfully sad if he weren't!

As I wrote last year when we drafted Troy, "is X (Troy Brown or Rui in these cases) a good prospect, likely to become a good player?" and "did we manage the draft so as to get the most possible value out of it" are completely different questions. Different kinds of questions, for that matter.

Above all, the answer to the first question is only peripherally related to the answer to the second question -- unless X (i.e. Troy/Rui) becomes a perennial all star or is a bust. Moreover, the second question is more or less irrelevant to this thread (or the thread about Troy).

[dangermouse]

A good write up in The Athletic about Rui, because my posts are probably too optimistic. Not going to quote the whole thing, but I'll quote his criticisms and an interesting statistic.

Obviously, the jump shot is also a concern. The numbers don’t look bad, particularly from the midrange. He hit 51 percent of his 49 pull-up jumpers this season, mostly from the midrange. So there is some real hope, there. I broke it down earlier this summer for Fred Katz and The Athletic DC site. Here’s what I said then:

“Hachimura has always seemed a lot more comfortable to me shooting off the dribble as opposed to shooting directly off the catch because his shot doesn’t have a ton of arc. He tends to play very upright, and when he takes jumpers off the dribble, his favored move is to get to his step-back (particularly to the left). Taking that step back allows him to get some natural leg bend, and it helps him with the arc and the touch of his shot. I pulled some shots of Hachimura below from over the last year at all levels.

“What you see in Las Vegas are the same problems as at Gonzaga. Ultimately, concerns about Hachimura’s jumper come down to two factors: the inconsistent hitch that he occasionally gets at the top, and his balance. Let’s start with the latter first, because I think it’s the biggest problem but also more fixable. A jumper starts with shot preparation, balance and footwork. With Hachimura, there’s a real lack of consistency there. In part, it’s that lack of bend mentioned above. Too often, he doesn’t engage his lower half enough to get power on his shot, which means it’s all coming from his arms. I think that’s why you sometimes see the hitch at the top. Sometimes, he needs the split-second load to get a bit more power on the shot to get it to the basket. When he’s leaning back, or just slightly off from wrong-footing the jumper, he’ll often leave the ball short on the front of the rim. But when he takes a really solid hop-step into the action, the shot looks smooth and fluid. When he’s balanced and gets some bend from his knees, the hitch irons itself out a bit and it looks much more like the one-motion jumper coaches strive to get for their players.

“So what does that mean for Washington? Well, it means that I think Hachimura has a chance to shoot it at a reasonable clip at some point. But it’s going to be a project, and it might look kind of ugly early on as he works through these things.”

“Project” applies to a lot of Hachimura’s game. Defensively, he was always a bit of a problem at Gonzaga. It wasn’t a disaster in his junior year, but his lack of attentiveness off-ball and inconsistency in making the right rotation did stand out. There are also some concerns here about him consistently being put out on an island against guards on the perimeter, because sometimes he can get heavy feet laterally.

At the top of this, I called Hachimura something of an “all-or-nothing” player. The reason I say that is because I do think there is a chance that this just all works, and Hachimura becomes a legitimately high-level scorer. His athleticism and length will allow him to create mismatches. If the shot comes along, it’s going to be really hard for defenses to guard him because he’ll really be able to keep them off-balance. But if it doesn’t really work, then things could get tricky. He’s someone who can create offense for himself through hard work, but without the jumper, he’s basically a small-ball 5 man because of the lack of spacing or playmaking he provides. Honestly, I think Washington should utilize him that way a bit anyway, but the lack of a jumper could really limit him to that role on offense, as opposed to making him versatile. Then on defense, if he can’t provide resistance on that end of the floor, where does he provide value?

Small ball 5? I dont think so. I cant see us having success running him at C. Doesn't rebound well enough against NBA bodies. He's a modern 4.

[I_Like_Dirt]

Small ball 5? I dont think so. I cant see us having success running him at C. Doesn't rebound well enough against NBA bodies. He's a modern 4.

I think he's a 4, too, but I don't see rebounding as the issue. Rebounding is more a function of role than anything in the modern game. He likely wouldn't be an above average rebounder or anything as a C but his rebounding totals would definitely go up significantly if he were given that role on defense, heck, he could be given that role on defense and still be a 4. Just depends on what the team is asking him and his teammates to do.

[nuposse04]

I'm probably more impressed by Rui's defense and rebounding to start the season then his offense. His efforts on the former have been better than I expected. Needs to get his FT shooting up but I suspect that will come in time. He isn't a complete black hole on offense either.

I do not love his shot selection at some points thus far but I'm hoping that amends as he gets more confident with this 3 pt shot.

[Jamaaliver]

NBA Rookies Facing Most Pressure in 2019-20

Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards



After drafting Rui Hachimura, the Washington Wizards will suddenly have another country tuned into their games.

The rookie will have the pressure of turning Japanese citizens into NBA fans after he became the nation's first native taken in the first round. And he'll have more visibility in Washington than he did at Gonzaga.

The Wizards even hired a Japanese digital correspondent to "increase the team's global presence with a specific focus in Japan" and contribute to its new Japanese-language website, podcast and player video series.

This is all for Hachimura, a reserve through two years at Gonzaga before he broke out in 2018-19. He created more hope in the offseason by averaging 19.3 points per game in summer league and 13.3 points at the FIBA World Cup.

With John Wall's post-Achilles-injury performance and recovery timetable in question, the Wizards will bank on their rookie panning out as a top-10 pick. It would be a major blow to the team's rebuild if he underachieves.

Bleacher Report

[prime1time]

I'm probably more impressed by Rui's defense and rebounding to start the season then his offense. His efforts on the former have been better than I expected. Needs to get his FT shooting up but I suspect that will come in time. He isn't a complete black hole on offense either.

I do not love his shot selection at some points thus far but I'm hoping that amends as he gets more confident with this 3 pt shot.

If you look at his 3-pt shooting, he shot 4-9 from 3 during pre-season. Ideally, he's upping the attempts per game, but he is knocking them done.

[prime1time]

A good write up in The Athletic about Rui, because my posts are probably too optimistic. Not going to quote the whole thing, but I'll quote his criticisms and an interesting statistic.

Obviously, the jump shot is also a concern. The numbers don’t look bad, particularly from the midrange. He hit 51 percent of his 49 pull-up jumpers this season, mostly from the midrange. So there is some real hope, there. I broke it down earlier this summer for Fred Katz and The Athletic DC site. Here’s what I said then:

“Hachimura has always seemed a lot more comfortable to me shooting off the dribble as opposed to shooting directly off the catch because his shot doesn’t have a ton of arc. He tends to play very upright, and when he takes jumpers off the dribble, his favored move is to get to his step-back (particularly to the left). Taking that step back allows him to get some natural leg bend, and it helps him with the arc and the touch of his shot. I pulled some shots of Hachimura below from over the last year at all levels.

“What you see in Las Vegas are the same problems as at Gonzaga. Ultimately, concerns about Hachimura’s jumper come down to two factors: the inconsistent hitch that he occasionally gets at the top, and his balance. Let’s start with the latter first, because I think it’s the biggest problem but also more fixable. A jumper starts with shot preparation, balance and footwork. With Hachimura, there’s a real lack of consistency there. In part, it’s that lack of bend mentioned above. Too often, he doesn’t engage his lower half enough to get power on his shot, which means it’s all coming from his arms. I think that’s why you sometimes see the hitch at the top. Sometimes, he needs the split-second load to get a bit more power on the shot to get it to the basket. When he’s leaning back, or just slightly off from wrong-footing the jumper, he’ll often leave the ball short on the front of the rim. But when he takes a really solid hop-step into the action, the shot looks smooth and fluid. When he’s balanced and gets some bend from his knees, the hitch irons itself out a bit and it looks much more like the one-motion jumper coaches strive to get for their players.

“So what does that mean for Washington? Well, it means that I think Hachimura has a chance to shoot it at a reasonable clip at some point. But it’s going to be a project, and it might look kind of ugly early on as he works through these things.”

“Project” applies to a lot of Hachimura’s game. Defensively, he was always a bit of a problem at Gonzaga. It wasn’t a disaster in his junior year, but his lack of attentiveness off-ball and inconsistency in making the right rotation did stand out. There are also some concerns here about him consistently being put out on an island against guards on the perimeter, because sometimes he can get heavy feet laterally.

At the top of this, I called Hachimura something of an “all-or-nothing” player. The reason I say that is because I do think there is a chance that this just all works, and Hachimura becomes a legitimately high-level scorer. His athleticism and length will allow him to create mismatches. If the shot comes along, it’s going to be really hard for defenses to guard him because he’ll really be able to keep them off-balance. But if it doesn’t really work, then things could get tricky. He’s someone who can create offense for himself through hard work, but without the jumper, he’s basically a small-ball 5 man because of the lack of spacing or playmaking he provides. Honestly, I think Washington should utilize him that way a bit anyway, but the lack of a jumper could really limit him to that role on offense, as opposed to making him versatile. Then on defense, if he can’t provide resistance on that end of the floor, where does he provide value?

Small ball 5? I dont think so. I cant see us having success running him at C. Doesn't rebound well enough against NBA bodies. He's a modern 4.

I think they were just saying situationally. Like how Draymond Green plays the 5 for the Warriors. Or PJ Tucker plays the 5 for the Rockets. In games where opposing teams go small, Rui could serve as a small-ball 5. I agree with it. That's literally what he did in college.

[nate33]

I'm probably more impressed by Rui's defense and rebounding to start the season then his offense. His efforts on the former have been better than I expected. Needs to get his FT shooting up but I suspect that will come in time. He isn't a complete black hole on offense either.

I do not love his shot selection at some points thus far but I'm hoping that amends as he gets more confident with this 3 pt shot.

If you look at his 3-pt shooting, he shot 4-9 from 3 during pre-season. Ideally, he's upping the attempts per game, but he is knocking them done.

He's averaging 3.7 attempts per 36 minutes, which is roughly what Markieff Morris attempted in 2016/17 and 2017/18. That's not a bad number of attempts for an NBA power forward.

I do agree he could probably launch a few more, particularly in this offensive system. Thomas Bryant is getting up 6.7 3PA's per 36 so far this preseason.

[Illmatic12]

Love seeing this:

Read on Twitter

?s=21


David Adkins interview with Wizards Japan - says they’re re-working Rui’s jumpshot and he’s been shooting the ball much better in practice lately :

Read on Twitter

?s=21

[prime1time]

Love seeing this:

Read on Twitter

?s=21


David Adkins interview with Wizards Japan - says they’re re-working Rui’s jumpshot and he’s been shooting the ball much better in practice lately :

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Wow, was literally just about to post this lol

[ozthegap]

Love seeing this:

Read on Twitter

?s=21


David Adkins interview with Wizards Japan - says they’re re-working Rui’s jumpshot and he’s been shooting the ball much better in practice lately :

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Wow, was literally just about to post this lol

Is that an actual Japanese word or Japanese emoji???

[nate33]

Love seeing this:

Read on Twitter

?s=21

You gotta love the attitude on this team. Everyone is so supportive

[payitforward]

Absolutely! Great stuff!

[AFM]

Rui screaming "GANBARE!!!!!" after every dunk this year like an anime hero

[JWizmentality]

Love seeing this:

Read on Twitter

?s=21


David Adkins interview with Wizards Japan - says they’re re-working Rui’s jumpshot and he’s been shooting the ball much better in practice lately :

Read on Twitter

?s=21

I've never been a fan of reworking someone's jumpshot. Unless of course it sucks arse. Like John Wall for instance. Rui's jumpshot was already great. I don't like that at all. You're forcibly trying to undue years of muscle memory.

[doclinkin]

I've never been a fan of reworking someone's jumpshot. Unless of course it sucks arse. Like John Wall for instance. Rui's jumpshot was already great. I don't like that at all. You're forcibly trying to undue years of muscle memory.

Outta Georgetown Otto Porter had a broke jumper that looked ugly and was slow. Under David Atkins he was shooting an ungodly rate for a stretch. Most players who come here and do the work see an uptick in their 3fg% stat. I trust Kevin Durant's sensei. He's one of the good ones. And serious student Hachimura willl do the work to add comfort confidence speed and range on that shot. Given that he shot so few threes even from NCAA range, he doesn't have a lot of unlearning to do.

[JWizmentality]

I've never been a fan of reworking someone's jumpshot. Unless of course it sucks arse. Like John Wall for instance. Rui's jumpshot was already great. I don't like that at all. You're forcibly trying to undue years of muscle memory.

Outta Georgetown Otto Porter had a broke jumper that looked ugly and was slow. Under David Atkins he was shooting an ungodly rate for a stretch. Most players who come here and do the work see an uptick in their 3fg% stat. I trust Kevin Durant's sensei. He's one of the good ones. And serious student Hachimura willl do the work to add comfort confidence speed and range on that shot. Given that he shot so few threes even from NCAA range, he doesn't have a lot of unlearning to do.

I'm cautiously optimistic. He hasn't taken that many mid range shots this preseason. And he had a horrific outing at the line. Oddly, he wasn't much of a great FT shooter but even then....

Will be something to watch.