Rui Hachimura

[tontoz]

Now is a good time to remember that being a rookie in the NBA is tough. In Nov/Dec of his rookie year Beal shot 26% from 3. Porter didn't exactly set the world on fire as a rookie. There were a lot of people here labeling him a bust even in his second season.

[TGW]

Now is a good time to remember that being a rookie in the NBA is tough. In Nov/Dec of his rookie year Beal shot 26% from 3. Porter didn't exactly set the world on fire as a rookie. There were a lot of people here labeling him a bust even in his second season.

I was a little salty we didn't get Clarke, but Rui is definitely a player. His demeanor and work ethic is professional and Beal like.

I haven't been in love with the moves this offseason, but Rui was a good pick.

[Ruzious]

Now is a good time to remember that being a rookie in the NBA is tough. In Nov/Dec of his rookie year Beal shot 26% from 3. Porter didn't exactly set the world on fire as a rookie. There were a lot of people here labeling him a bust even in his second season.

And he's likely going to hit a wall as a rookie. He seemed to get exhausted from the international competition in the offseason, and he's probably used to the college schedule of less than 40 games. Wiz should probably limit his minutes in the first half of the season.

[prime1time]

Now is a good time to remember that being a rookie in the NBA is tough. In Nov/Dec of his rookie year Beal shot 26% from 3. Porter didn't exactly set the world on fire as a rookie. There were a lot of people here labeling him a bust even in his second season.

And he's likely going to hit a wall as a rookie. He seemed to get exhausted from the international competition in the offseason, and he's probably used to the college schedule of less than 40 games. Wiz should probably limit his minutes in the first half of the season.

Every rookie deals with it. Not a reason to limit his minutes. Just let him play. And monitor minutes with regard to his body like they do for every player. We can say he’ll hit a wall but look at what he’s done so far: preseason practice for college, college season, training for the draft, summer league, FIBA, practicing with the team and Pre-season. If you want to get technical he really hasn’t slowed down in about a year. Let advance analytics take care of load management but just let him play. I have never heard of any great player complain about playing too much. If we draft you and you’re healthy you need to play. Would Jordan or Magic or Bird or Kobe or Lebron have their minutes arbitrarily cut? No. And if you tried to they’d probably get pissed. Monitor the wear and tear on his body but other than that, the teams needs/rotations should dictate his minutes.

[prime1time]

Well, all Indications point to Rui being our starting PF. No law the next question is how any minutes will he play. If I had to guess I’d peg him around 30 minutes a game. I do expect to see load management with Rui. Given the amount of basketball he’s played over the last year. In addition, I don’t think the fact that he’s starting should be overlooked. Coach Brooks makes rookie players earn everything they get. So the fact that he’s starting is a great testimony to the work he’s put in.

[Ruzious]

Now is a good time to remember that being a rookie in the NBA is tough. In Nov/Dec of his rookie year Beal shot 26% from 3. Porter didn't exactly set the world on fire as a rookie. There were a lot of people here labeling him a bust even in his second season.

And he's likely going to hit a wall as a rookie. He seemed to get exhausted from the international competition in the offseason, and he's probably used to the college schedule of less than 40 games. Wiz should probably limit his minutes in the first half of the season.

Every rookie deals with it. Not a reason to limit his minutes. Just let him play. And monitor minutes with regard to his body like they do for every player. We can say he’ll hit a wall but look at what he’s done so far: preseason practice for college, college season, training for the draft, summer league, FIBA, practicing with the team and Pre-season. If you want to get technical he really hasn’t slowed down in about a year. Let advance analytics take care of load management but just let him play. I have never heard of any great player complain about playing too much. If we draft you and you’re healthy you need to play. Would Jordan or Magic or Bird or Kobe or Lebron have their minutes arbitrarily cut? No. And if you tried to they’d probably get pissed. Monitor the wear and tear on his body but other than that, the teams needs/rotations should dictate his minutes.

He was the focus of Japan's chances - a ton was put on him - not to mention, he's the key now to Japan's media push to become an international factor - people in Japan will be watching the NBA for the first time because of him. What he has to deal with is far more than what other rookies have to deal with.

[TheAlchemist]

I truly believe Rui will be the next Kawhi/Giannis.

There's way, way too much with his size, skill, and IQ that speaks loud.

I remember coming onto this Washington board and a lot of fans where hating on him, glad to see the tune has changed dramatically.

One thing I will say though is that he needs the first year Kevin Durant treatment. Feed Rui the ball a LOT and get him as many chances as possible. He needs a high usage even if he's shooting low 40's. That's the best way in my opinion to develop a guy like Rui.

That being said, I just don't see how that's possible with Beal and the squad trying to compete. Tough decisions for the Wizards coaching staff.

[Ruzious]

I truly believe Rui will be the next Kawhi/Giannis.

There's way, way too much with his size, skill, and IQ that speaks loud.

I remember coming onto this Washington board and a lot of fans where hating on him, glad to see the tune has changed dramatically.

One thing I will say though is that he needs the first year Kevin Durant treatment. Feed Rui the ball a LOT and get him as many chances as possible. He needs a high usage even if he's shooting low 40's. That's the best way in my opinion to develop a guy like Rui.

That being said, I just don't see how that's possible with Beal and the squad trying to compete. Tough decisions for the Wizards coaching staff.

I would suggest not going there. First, those are the 2 best defensive forwards in the game, and Rui simply can't touch them with his defensive ability. Offensively, Giannis is 3 inches taller, even stronger, and is more skilled at everything except jump shooting. Everything is a lot of things. Giannis and Kawhi are freaks; Rui is not a freak. That's not to say Rui can't eventually become an all-star. That'd be great if it happens.

[Mojo Amok]

I truly believe Rui will be the next Kawhi/Giannis.

There's way, way too much with his size, skill, and IQ that speaks loud.

I remember coming onto this Washington board and a lot of fans were hating on him, glad to see the tune has changed dramatically.

One thing I will say though is that he needs the first year Kevin Durant treatment. Feed Rui the ball a LOT and get him as many chances as possible. He needs a high usage even if he's shooting low 40's. That's the best way in my opinion to develop a guy like Rui.

That being said, I just don't see how that's possible with Beal and the squad trying to compete. Tough decisions for the Wizards coaching staff.

I don't think we're really trying to compete organizationally, though it's true that Beal will be. I doubt Rui will get the number of shots like Rookie Durant did, but it will probably just be due to the structure of the spread offense and all the mouths to feed more than anything.

Beal and Bryant are at the top of the pecking order, but I suspect a fairly egalitarian shot distribution breakdown after that. And even then, you've got Bertans and Wagner gunning from among the bigs, so it's a lot more firepower than the 2008 Sonics.

Part of me would like to see the Rui Show and it could make sense to develop him that way, but I don't think we're going to see too much of that style. We'll likely have a pretty bad record, but I wouldn't be surprised if the team offensive efficiency is around 12th or so on the season.

[tontoz]

Now is a good time to remember that being a rookie in the NBA is tough. In Nov/Dec of his rookie year Beal shot 26% from 3. Porter didn't exactly set the world on fire as a rookie. There were a lot of people here labeling him a bust even in his second season.

I was a little salty we didn't get Clarke, but Rui is definitely a player. His demeanor and work ethic is professional and Beal like.

I haven't been in love with the moves this offseason, but Rui was a good pick.

I never questioned the pick. I just dont want to see him thrown under the bus if he struggles.

[payitforward]

I truly believe Rui will be the next Kawhi/Giannis.

There's way, way too much with his size, skill, and IQ that speaks loud. ...

That would be great of course. Then again, what a fan will truly believe is a good predictor of... absolutely nothing. But, still, Rui may be all that, & right away. No way to know.

As to...

...I remember coming onto this Washington board and a lot of fans where hating on him, glad to see the tune has changed dramatically...

I continue to be amazed that people can't make the simple distinction between these 2 questions:

1) Is X a good player?

2) Was using the Nth pick to select X the best way to manage this year's NBA draft?

The two questions have virtually nothing to do with each other!

This is true despite the fact that if X is a bad player, then selecting him obviously can't have been the best way to manage any pick or any draft.

But nobody thought Rui was or would be "a bad player." So that's irrelevant in this case. Of course, he may turn out to be bad all the same. It does happen.

For example, when was the last year that all 3 of the first guys taken in the draft turned out to be the 3 best players in their class? Hell, in what % of drafts does it turn out that at least one of the top three is a bust or at least nothing special? The answer is: in most of them.

[payitforward]

To answer my own question: in the 15 drafts from 2003-2017, there is no case -- not one! -- in which the top 3 picks were the top 3 players out of that draft. In fact, in almost every one of those 15 drafts, at least 1 of the top 3 was a total bust or close to a total bust.

In virtually every one of them, as well, at least 2 of the top 5 picks turned out to be bad NBA players. Sometimes it was way more than that: take a look at 2006 where only 1 of the top 7 & only 2 of the top 10 was any good.

This has nothing to do with Rui, of course. But it "speaks loud" to what fans "truly believe."

[Jamaaliver]

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[prime1time]

Solid first game for Rui. A lot to like a lot to dislike. The way I see it when there are holes in your game, the time to work on them is the present. ANd yesterday showed that Rui has a long way to in terms of passing. If teams are going to help on his drives or post-ups, he has to pass the ball. Multiple times yesterday he forced bad shots when he was double-teamed. I know we love to talk about his three-point shooting, but this will be a key aspect to judge his improvement curve. How long will it take before Rui starts to pass when the help defender comes.

As far as the scoring it's pretty much everything we talked about. Except for two things, offensive rebounds and fast-break opportunities. Offensive rebounds we saw in pre-season and it showed up again yesterday. Rui was a beast on the boards pulling down 10 rebounds in 25 minutes. Also, three times Rui got behind the defense in transition. The first time, Brad's pass got stolen the second and third times Rui got easy scores. This is why Rui will score in this league. Not because of the flashy plays but because of the simple ones. Offensive rebounds, sprinting down ahead of the defense in transition etc. It's a small sample size though so let's see what happens going forward.

As far as the rest of his offensive game goes, there is certainly potential. When he starts drawing ft's and knocking down 3's, he's going to look every bit the role of a burgeoning offensive powerhouse. He just needs to lose the tunnel vision and learn when to pass the ball.

[I_Like_Dirt]

As far as the rest of his offensive game goes, there is certainly potential. When he starts drawing ft's and knocking down 3's, he's going to look every bit the role of a burgeoning offensive powerhouse. He just needs to lose the tunnel vision and learn when to pass the ball.

Passing will help him a lot but I'm not so sure it changes him impact to the same degree. Derozan barely passed for years and was an allstar anyway. Derozan evolved his passing over time and was racking up assists as a sometimes PG for the Spurs last season and I'm not sure it necessarily made him into a significantly more impactful player.

Really, what Rui needs beyond the obvious defensive stuff, is a bit more slither/craftiness to his game. It's there, though he uses it a bit differently than guards do, perhaps. If he can get just that little added change of direction or distance when the help defender comes, it might make the pass out of traffic a bit easier for him or it might allow him to finish a bit more often not totally unlike Melo. Even without it, he would still be a very good player, but he's so close and had it in college - I think that's going to come and it will open up just a fraction more options for him which will help his game significantly.

[oldshoolballer]

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

I agree I'm excited for Rui the Wizards found a Gem.Still a lot to learn but I'm very impressed.

[prime1time]

As far as the rest of his offensive game goes, there is certainly potential. When he starts drawing ft's and knocking down 3's, he's going to look every bit the role of a burgeoning offensive powerhouse. He just needs to lose the tunnel vision and learn when to pass the ball.

Passing will help him a lot but I'm not so sure it changes him impact to the same degree. Derozan barely passed for years and was an allstar anyway. Derozan evolved his passing over time and was racking up assists as a sometimes PG for the Spurs last season and I'm not sure it necessarily made him into a significantly more impactful player.

Really, what Rui needs beyond the obvious defensive stuff, is a bit more slither/craftiness to his game. It's there, though he uses it a bit differently than guards do, perhaps. If he can get just that little added change of direction or distance when the help defender comes, it might make the pass out of traffic a bit easier for him or it might allow him to finish a bit more often not totally unlike Melo. Even without it, he would still be a very good player, but he's so close and had it in college - I think that's going to come and it will open up just a fraction more options for him which will help his game significantly.

Have to disagree with you. Rui needs to pass the ball when the help defender comes. If he decides to shoot the ball in these situations it will hurt his personal efficiency and the overall efficiency of the offense. I'm not saying he has to be a great passer. All I'm saying is when help comes he needs to pass the ball.

[prime1time]

Looking at Rui's first two performances the best thing that can be said is that he hasn't even played well yet. When he starts to knock down the 3 and get to the ft line he's going to put up an efficient 30+ on someone. I expect him to continue to average a lot of shot attempts. Efficient basketball demands it.

[doclinkin]

As far as the rest of his offensive game goes, there is certainly potential. When he starts drawing ft's and knocking down 3's, he's going to look every bit the role of a burgeoning offensive powerhouse. He just needs to lose the tunnel vision and learn when to pass the ball.

Passing will help him a lot but I'm not so sure it changes him impact to the same degree. Derozan barely passed for years and was an allstar anyway. Derozan evolved his passing over time and was racking up assists as a sometimes PG for the Spurs last season and I'm not sure it necessarily made him into a significantly more impactful player.

Really, what Rui needs beyond the obvious defensive stuff, is a bit more slither/craftiness to his game. It's there, though he uses it a bit differently than guards do, perhaps. If he can get just that little added change of direction or distance when the help defender comes, it might make the pass out of traffic a bit easier for him or it might allow him to finish a bit more often not totally unlike Melo. Even without it, he would still be a very good player, but he's so close and had it in college - I think that's going to come and it will open up just a fraction more options for him which will help his game significantly.

Have to disagree with you. Rui needs to pass the ball when the help defender comes. If he decides to shoot the ball in these situations it will hurt his personal efficiency and the overall efficiency of the offense. I'm not saying he has to be a great passer. All I'm saying is when help comes he needs to pass the ball.

I’d agree with both. He will pass better as he gets familiar with his teammates. But if he gets stronger and finishes through contact and develops advanced counter moves to elude the double team then he will earn all-star accolades. The heartening thing is he has potential for both. Learning to recognize the double team and hit the open pass is the easier of the two. But with his huge hands and inherent strength he has the talent to shrug off double teams without turnovers. At that point if he’s finishing he forces defenses to shade the passing lanes and leave outside shooters wide open in fear that they’ll feed him for the undefendable finish.

With fan voting and a whole country watching him he just needs to be consistently good to lock in all star votes at some point in his career. If he can score no matter the defense he will earn and deserve it and garner respect from referees and trips to the FT line.

[nate33]

I'm thrilled with what I'm seeing so far. Put simply, the kid already belongs out there. He's a legit rotation forward in the NBA right freaking now. Physically, he is totally fine at power forward and he is even attempting to bully smaller guys on switches and go at slower power forward that he doesn't think can guard him. I really liked seeing his confidence grow already. In the 4th quarter of the OKC game, he knew Gallo couldn't guard him so he started looking for his shot.

He is getting his shot blocked from behind fairly often by help-defending wings after beating his own man. Rui will have to adapt to the speed and skill of NBA players and get a better sense when to pump fake and when to lead with a forearm (to get the foul instead of a block), but that will surely come in time. Other than that, he's just a 3-ball away from being quite good rather than "fine".

Defensively, he has been rock solid. No complaints there.