Rui Hachimura 2.0

[payitforward]

...He has gone from a horrible .287 to a bad .328 year over year (on about 50% more attempts)....

It's great to increase you 3FG% on more shots -- if you mean more attempts per number of minutes or possessions. Why? Because the increase will almost always mean you are taking harder attempts.

& Rui did increase his attempts per minutes/possessions. That's a good thing. But, it was an increase of just over 20% not of 50%.

...He needs to be nearer to .400 IMO. And that is hard when you are battling knee issues (I think that is why is FT% dropped (wild speculation) (from a terrific .829 down to .770)....

Wait... his 3 point % went up b/c of knee issues? But, his FT% went down for the same reason?

...Once the 3 point shot drops at a high rate, that will allow him to put the ball on the floor for his pretty good mid-range game....

And... what evidence do you have that this will happen? That he'll get to that "high rate" you're referencing?

...What I haven't seen much development on is his playmaking ability and that is a shame given his handles....

Russ steals his assists. Isn't it obvious?

[DCZards]

Tobias Harris at 22 vs. Rui at 22...

https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&player_id1=harrito02&p1yrfrom=2015&p1yrto=2015&player_id2=hachiru01&p2yrfrom=2021&p2yrto=2021

Would take Tobias 10 times out of 10. Tobias feel for the game at the same age was infinitely better.

No doubt that’s where Rui needs to improve most—his feel for the game. He has the physical skills and, I believe, the work ethic to improve as a shooter, ball handler, defender, etc.

But it remains to be seen whether his feel for the game will improve with experience, coaching and practice.

[payitforward]

Tobias Harris at 22 vs. Rui at 22...

https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&player_id1=harrito02&p1yrfrom=2015&p1yrto=2015&player_id2=hachiru01&p2yrfrom=2021&p2yrto=2021

Suppose instead of Harris, we chose to look at different player, someone who wasn't good at 22 -- & then in fact never became good.

Would that tell us anything about Rui Hachimura? Would it increase the chance that Rui never becomes good?

Of course not!

Does what Tobias Harris did at 22 tell us anything whatever about Rui Hachimura?

Of course not!

It just makes you feel good despite the fact that, so far, Rui has been a very bad NBA player.

[payitforward]

Rui's biggest improvement was as a perimeter defender. That's not enough. I don't see enough confidence in his skillset to be anything more than a scorer off the bench which is what I doomed him to when I said he's the next Mike Scott or Jabari Parker. I do see alot of Yi Jianlian traits in terms of lack of assertiveness & fighting through adversity. I think he's a great kid. Hard worker. Will stick in the league longer than Yi did but he's mediocre scorer with inability to bring much else to the table.

This seems a very balanced view.

Rui also has another advantage over Yi, which is that he brings the Japanese market. For that reason alone, he's likely to stick in the league.

[payitforward]

...I have to believe Rui’s only job when he touches the ball is to shoot/score. Similarly with Deni who can create but is tasked to catch and shoot when he gets the ball....

This is a good point. Perhaps if we do get a different coach (hope hope hope...), Rui will have different opportunities to grow as a player.

In that case, maybe he will. Or, maybe he won't.

Right now the relevant task is to assess where he is right now. Making unsupported claims about him won't help that.

[payitforward]

No doubt that’s where Rui needs to improve most—his feel for the game. He has the physical skills and, I believe, the work ethic to improve as a shooter, ball handler, defender, etc.

But it remains to be seen whether his feel for the game will improve with experience, coaching and practice.

Another good point. But, I don't think he has the physical skills exactly -- it would be truer to say that he has the athleticism he needs.

&, yes, he has the work ethic too (by all reports).

What would really help optimism about him right now would be if he had shown modest improvements in a bunch of other areas aside from 3-pt. shooting & man defense on the perimeter. But... he didn't.

[doclinkin]

Tobias Harris at 22 vs. Rui at 22...

https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&player_id1=harrito02&p1yrfrom=2015&p1yrto=2015&player_id2=hachiru01&p2yrfrom=2021&p2yrto=2021

Would take Tobias 10 times out of 10. Tobias feel for the game at the same age was infinitely better.

No doubt that’s where Rui needs to improve most—his feel for the game. He has the physical skills and, I believe, the work ethic to improve as a shooter, ball handler, defender, etc.

But it remains to be seen whether his feel for the game will improve with experience, coaching and practice.

My contention is that Rui learns by emulating other players. I feel like he would improve on all of the above if he had a pace setter, rebounder, and defensive captain in the front court that he looked up to. Russ did wonders for his attitude and occasionally for his aggression. But he cannot even approximate what Russ can do. (And really, who can?).

I'd love for Rui to learn tricks from an oldhead on how to do the little things to get by in this league. If we could pull a vet like Lopez but at the PF spot, I fully expect both Rui and Deni would benefit. I'd look at a list of players like Thaddeus Young, Paul Millsapp, Kelly Olynyk, even Al Horford as an assistant coach when he finishes earning all those millions and millions. Players who survived in the league not by being bigger and more athletic but by being clever and determined. (Thad Young was a hell of an athlete early but later learned the skill to stick around. This year even dishing over 4 ast per game).

Olynyk is a free agent . Thad Young has one more year at 13 mil (partially guaranteed for 6 mil). Millsapp is a free agent as well. Millsapp may be mostly toothless but KO has some game left (and the Gonzaga connection), as does Thad (who can teach an athlete how to actually play with skill). If we sell players like this on the advancement possibilities after their career they may be interested in teaching a guy whose job it is to take their minutes away from them.

Anyway, given his lack of experience, and given that much of his experience was in Japan (not noted for burly dudes who play up front) I think Rui simply doesn't really know what he can and cannot do in the front court. He hasn't seen it in practice, has no mentor in this respect. If he did,I fully expect he would pick it up quickly. He needs a personal Big Man Camp on a daily basis to catch up.

[smoothSeph]

...I have to believe Rui’s only job when he touches the ball is to shoot/score. Similarly with Deni who can create but is tasked to catch and shoot when he gets the ball....

Right now the relevant task is to assess where he is right now. Making unsupported claims about him won't help that.

That would make sense if we all agreed Rui is a finished product. But some of us think a 23 year old can still improve.

If the relevant task were to assess where the Wizards are this forum would be a ghost town

[WallToWall]

We should trade all our 23+ year old players, because, you know, they've all peaked. They're all a finished product. No more improvement for them. Get rid of them. Right?

[dckingsfan]

...He has gone from a horrible .287 to a bad .328 year over year (on about 50% more attempts)....

It's great to increase you 3FG% on more shots -- if you mean more attempts per number of minutes or possessions. Why? Because the increase will almost always mean you are taking harder attempts.

& Rui did increase his attempts per minutes/possessions. That's a good thing. But, it was an increase of just over 20% not of 50%.

Well, we don't actually know if there were harder - maybe they were easier because of Russ

...He needs to be nearer to .400 IMO. And that is hard when you are battling knee issues (I think that is why is FT% dropped (wild speculation) (from a terrific .829 down to .770)....

Wait... his 3 point % went up b/c of knee issues? But, his FT% went down for the same reason?

exactly (wild speculation) and now adding (wild ridiculous speculation)

...Once the 3 point shot drops at a high rate, that will allow him to put the ball on the floor for his pretty good mid-range game....

And... what evidence do you have that this will happen? That he'll get to that "high rate" you're referencing?

You are right, I don't have "evidence". But I think the speculation is sound. Namely, Rui has a reasonable mid-range game when unguarded. If folks have to close out hard he should be able to get more cleaner paths to the basket.

...What I haven't seen much development on is his playmaking ability and that is a shame given his handles....

Russ steals his assists. Isn't it obvious?

Irrefutable!

[ruffian253]

Happy for Rui and wizards tonight as they got the win, but also frustrating watching this game, especially in the 4th. Often time, a switch was made and rui would have a smaller guy, curry/Maxey in the post. The smart bball play would be to feed it to him, but on the wizards, Beal/russ would go 1v1, been like that all season. Ruis relegated to a spot up corner 3 pt shooter as opposed to being able to take advantage of his strengths, post smaller guards or take a big off the dribble.

[Kanyewest]

Rui cussed out Tobaias Harris and got a tech after reading this thread. Great game for Rui.

[Halcyon]

Rui heard yall talkin sh*t

[smoothSeph]

Rui heard yall talkin sh*t

Won’t be talked about, next time Rui plays poorly this thread will be bumped and used as a reminder he’s 32 “I mean 23.”

[J-Ves]

There's been approximately two good things this post season.
1. Gaff continues to prove he a beast
2. Rui's scoring efficiency in the play-ins/playoffs has been fantastic. He's posted a 76.6% eFG over the 6 games

[Ruzious]

There's been approximately two good things this post season.
1. Gaff continues to prove he a beast
2. Rui's scoring efficiency in the play-ins/playoffs has been fantastic. He's posted a 76.6% eFG over the 6 games

Yeah, Rui's made 10 of 15 3's and is shooting 66% overall from the field. We need him to be more consistent with his defense and rebounding. He had 13 rebounds last night - but that was the 1st time he had more than 7. He can't cheat going for steals 40 feet from the basket - that almost always leads to easy baskets by Philly. But then it lets him leak out for a fast break if Russ gets the defensive rebound.

[prime1time]

Rui’s playoff success shows why I thought he was a good draft pick. In the playoffs many players shrink offensively. Defenses play tight. You can’t just freestyle and score effectively. You need actual offensive skill. Rui has shot above 50% every game in this playoff series. Going against a vet like Harris is tough, but it is a good learning experience. Coupled with his lights out 3-point shooting and it’s not to know why this thread is so quiet. Meanwhile the player that he’s often compared to Brandon Clarke can’t even get onto the floor. Hopefully, Rui uses this series as a leaping board to enter into the offseason and improve his game.

[BearlyBallin]

Rui cussed out Tobaias Harris and got a tech after reading this thread. Great game for Rui.

Read on Twitter

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Read on Twitter

?s=20

[dckingsfan]

Rui heard yall talkin sh*t

Won’t be talked about, next time Rui plays poorly Rui has a bad season this thread will be bumped and used as a reminder he’s 32 “I mean 23 24.”

Just helping you...

[Ruzious]

Rui heard yall talkin sh*t

Won’t be talked about, next time Rui plays poorly Rui has a bad season this thread will be bumped and used as a reminder he’s 32 “I mean 23 24.”

Just helping you...

It depends on what point in the season it's bumped. He'll turn 24 on 2/8/22.