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Rui Hachimura 2.0

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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#101 » by doclinkin » Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:25 pm

closg00 wrote:Dunno if it's because it's an edited highlight reel, but he looks loose and more confident in the same way that Jan played more confidently when playing overseas.


Yeah he always has looked better in FIBA play. At that level his athleticism gives him a clear advantage and he has no choice but to assert it. I think playing with Russ showed him the swagger he has to play with when he is the alpha dog on a team. Here, I think he tends to defer to the veterans. I do think he is still learning the nuances of the game.

That said for all that the offensive highlights look proficient (too many long 2's, but fine if they go in) his defense was atrocious in all of the Slovenia highlights. Wrong position, no effort, weak swipes at the ball, blow-bys, matador defense, disinterested and disheartened on D, no skill or positioning or leverage or anticipation in rebounding. This is the area that I think a detail-oriented guy like Wes could help him most with. Rui's team defense is generally poor, but looks abysmal on a Japanese team that seems to have no decent defenders at any position. Rui does not seem to understand that he is the strongest player on the court most times, that especially in FIBA play he needs to show the others appropriately aggressive D. If Wes figures out how to light the fire at that end, to give him insight on the team game on D, then he'll become a better player all around, and a better leader for Japan in international games.
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#102 » by prime1time » Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:42 pm

Ed Wood wrote:No reason not to hope for the best from Rui going forward, and a strong showing in the Olympics is much better news than a poor one would have been, but considering that he (1) was a markedly better three point shooter in college than he has been in the pros at least in the one instance where he was a good three point shooter in college (2) he's always had a fairly flat shot and (3) he's a pretty prolific shooter of long twos there's more reason than there'd normally be to be skeptical of apparent sharp shooting in international competition.

I'm going to assume you're referring to Rui's junior year when he shot 41.7% from 3 but you should also point out that he only shot 1 3 a game. In his last two games he has attempted 17 3's or 8.5 3's a game. In his junior year, he attempted 36 3's the whole year. In addition, this year he attempted more 3's and made a higher percentage of them. Now does any of this mean he's a sharpshooter? No. But what it does mean is that he's improving. Somewhere between when we drafted him to the present, the standard for Rui changed from being can he improve his shot at all to he's not a sharpshooter. At the very least skeptics should acknowledge that this is the case and give him credit for his improvement.

Secondly, you are relying on outdated information regarding Rui's shot. If you compare Rui's shot from college to now his form is different. In college he had a hitch in his shot, now it is much more fluid. Also, it has been stated that Rui has been working since the Wizards drafted him on getting more arc on his shot.
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Lastly, seeing how I watched both his college tape and these olympic games I would be remiss if I didn't point this out. When you only attempt 1 three a game, it is usually a wide-open 3 with no defenders nearby. A set shot. By the time you get to 8.5 3's a game, you are taking contested 3's off the dribble. Rui is the focal point for Japan's offense and the other team knows it. They are keying in on him every time down the floor and still he scores. By focusing solely on percentages you wind up missing the forest for the trees. Not only is Rui attempting more 3's and making them, but he's also making difficult 3's - i.e. 3's off a live dribble with a defender contesting. This is important because it will open up his dribble-drive attack. I get it, he hasn't done it in the NBA so we should be skeptical, but at the end of the day he has shown constant improvement and it should be celebrated. If he was playing terrible and shooting terrible people would be all over him. At the very least we should keep the same energy.
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#103 » by Chocolate City Jordanaire » Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:49 pm

closg00 wrote:Dunno if it's because it's an edited highlight reel, but he looks loose and more confident in the same way that Jan played more confidently when playing overseas.


It is kind of like how you reacted as a kid when your parents were away. He is the big man on campus foR team Japan.

No Scott Brooks or Russell Westbrook’s or Bradley Beal or anybody else to defer to.
Bye bye Beal.
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#104 » by Chocolate City Jordanaire » Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:52 pm

doclinkin wrote:
closg00 wrote:Dunno if it's because it's an edited highlight reel, but he looks loose and more confident in the same way that Jan played more confidently when playing overseas.


Yeah he always has looked better in FIBA play. At that level his athleticism gives him a clear advantage and he has no choice but to assert it. I think playing with Russ showed him the swagger he has to play with when he is the alpha dog on a team. Here, I think he tends to defer to the veterans. I do think he is still learning the nuances of the game.

That said for all that the offensive highlights look proficient (too many long 2's, but fine if they go in) his defense was atrocious in all of the Slovenia highlights. Wrong position, no effort, weak swipes at the ball, blow-bys, matador defense, disinterested and disheartened on D, no skill or positioning or leverage or anticipation in rebounding. This is the area that I think a detail-oriented guy like Wes could help him most with. Rui's team defense is generally poor, but looks abysmal on a Japanese team that seems to have no decent defenders at any position. Rui does not seem to understand that he is the strongest player on the court most times, that especially in FIBA play he needs to show the others appropriately aggressive D. If Wes figures out how to light the fire at that end, to give him insight on the team game on D, then he'll become a better player all around, and a better leader for Japan in international games.


The late Paul Harvey used to say, “And now, for the rest of the story”. You’re exactly right about that defense part
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#105 » by ghsermon » Thu Jul 29, 2021 8:45 pm

When you look at his skills and phsical tools there is no reason why he can't be an Antawn Jamison type pro. He really just needs someone to develop him into a polished player. From what I see from him he still appears to lack basketball IQ and often looks a bit awakard with the ball like he doens't know what to do. Sometimes when you feed him in the high post you can literally see him think(ok lower shoulder and drive right)
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#106 » by Chocolate City Jordanaire » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:15 pm

One thing he is not is anywhere near as good a rebounder as Jamison was. Antwan was a quick jumper and I think he was a better rebounder
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#107 » by Chocolate City Jordanaire » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:16 pm

:D
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#108 » by Chocolate City Jordanaire » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:17 pm

:rock: :usa:
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#109 » by CobraCommander » Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:47 pm

:D Rui was best player on court against sol and Luka...

It was one night...but it happened
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#110 » by jangles86 » Sun Aug 1, 2021 12:06 am

Rui- 34/7/3 on 13/28fg 3/6 from three in 36 mins against Doncic led Slovenia.

These Olympics are only going to improve Ruis mindset and hopefully give him some alpha mindset
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#111 » by prime1time » Sun Aug 1, 2021 7:30 pm

Rui, really struggled last game. 6/17 from the field 1/4 from 3. The biggest issue Rui has is that he struggles to dynamically process the game. Go back to the bubble at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Going in Rui was supposed to be the focal point. The 1st game he played well if I recall then after that it completely fell apart. In the bubble teams trapped him and mixed up the looks he saw and he just stopped functioning. That's what happened last night vs. Argentina. In a must-win game, Argentina came out with a game plan of stopping Rui and Rui just looked defeated. It reminded me of being given a riddle that frustrates you to the point that eventually you just throw your hands up in the air and give up.

Rui's at his best when the game is simple and straightforward. Give Rui the ball and ask him to beat the player in front of him, he'll know what to do. But put Rui in a situation where a defense is organized to stop him and he will struggle. Now, the fact that Rui's struggles in these moments isn't necessarily the end of the world. Currently, he's still trying to develop his skillset. He's nowhere close to worrying more about how the defense is trying to stop him but hopefully he'll get there. The promising thing for Rui is that has shown the ability to learn and figure out how to attack new situations.

As for what it means going forward, it means that we should try to limit lineups where Rui is the main offensive option. And if we do have these lineups, make sure he has shooting, so his reads are simple. Good defenses and well-coached teams will shut down Rui very easily if we put him in these situations. As for how to best use Rui right now, keep it simple for him. Floor spacer, transition/fastbreak, pick-n-pop, pick-n-roll and set plays where we can give him space to work ideally on the wing where he can pull-up for a mid-range or give a hard jab step, one dribble and get to the rim. He can also exploit switches in the low post especially when a small guard switches onto him.

Right now Rui's like a poor man's Carmelo Anthony. Hopefully, he'll eventually get to the point where he's thinking more about how defenses are trying to stop him instead of improving specific offensive skills.
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#112 » by Gig18 » Sun Aug 1, 2021 7:52 pm

well, in regard to this observation --- "But put Rui in a situation where a defense is organized to stop him and he will struggle" --- MOST will struggle when defenses are organized to stop them specifically.
and I think in Japan's case, Rui was the one dude, even with Watanabe on the court, that was a threat.
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#113 » by Kanyewest » Sun Aug 1, 2021 9:33 pm

I was looking at re-drafts of the 2019 draft just to see where Rui was ranked after hearing someone on a podcast call Rui "a great draft pick". A few had in the 12 range, one had Rui in the mid-20s. Interestingly enough Cam Johnson/Brandon Clarke were in the top 10.

I'm hoping Rui will play better in his 3rd season especially after an encouraging postseason and Olympic games (minus his last game against Argentina).
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#114 » by prime1time » Sun Aug 1, 2021 10:04 pm

Gig18 wrote:well, in regard to this observation --- "But put Rui in a situation where a defense is organized to stop him and he will struggle" --- MOST will struggle when defenses are organized to stop them specifically.
and I think in Japan's case, Rui was the one dude, even with Watanabe on the court, that was a threat.

Did you watch the game or are you just making a general statement?
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#115 » by Ruzious » Sun Aug 1, 2021 10:30 pm

Gig18 wrote:well, in regard to this observation --- "But put Rui in a situation where a defense is organized to stop him and he will struggle" --- MOST will struggle when defenses are organized to stop them specifically.
and I think in Japan's case, Rui was the one dude, even with Watanabe on the court, that was a threat.

Rui's an easy player to double-team because he's not a passer. He looks to shoot - period. But maybe it's something he can improve on.
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#116 » by Gig18 » Sun Aug 1, 2021 11:04 pm

prime1time wrote:
Gig18 wrote:well, in regard to this observation --- "But put Rui in a situation where a defense is organized to stop him and he will struggle" --- MOST will struggle when defenses are organized to stop them specifically.
and I think in Japan's case, Rui was the one dude, even with Watanabe on the court, that was a threat.

Did you watch the game or are you just making a general statement?

general statement. did not see the game
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#117 » by prime1time » Sun Aug 1, 2021 11:39 pm

The reality is that last game Rui should have been a facilitator. You can knock his teammates all you want, but they carried Rui vs. Argentina. Baba had 18 points on 8/12 shooting, Hiejima had 13 points on 6/12 shooting, Watanabe had 17 on 7/14 shooting and Tanaka had 10 points on 4/9 shooting. The starting 5 minus Rui was 25/47 or 53%, Rui shot 6/17 35%. And that 6/17 makes his game look a lot better than it actually was. Several of those 6 makes were either offensive rebound dunks or spoon-fed dunks. Now players are allowed to have bad games, but the reason I bring up the fact that he struggles with processing after this game is that far from being a one-off this is a pattern that I have seen over and over again.

Poor awareness. As mentioned above, he misses rotations, is in poor positions off ball, and does not appear to know where to be. Not someone who affects the defense in a positive way off ball (or on ball either, really). I don’t think it’s effort based, though he does have a large offensive load, just because it has been the same in limited minutes in previous years and in FIBA games as well. Does not anticipate well either, either in man to man, help, or playing the passing lanes.

Not a good passer and not a particularly willing one, either – one of 50 players in all of division 1 with a USG% of greater than 25, but an assist rate below 10. Can drive and kick / drive and drop-off, but is not creating looks for others out of PnR or making any advanced reads. Passing has improved over the past seasons, but it’s still nowhere close to being a strength, and not even average for his position either. A bit of a ball-stopper and does not see the floor well when he’s focusing on handling – goes back to lack of comfortability handling the ball. 81 ISO possessions this year, only 10 passes leading to shot attempts. Can pass out of the post a little, but he does not do it often…it’s more of a last ditch thing when he can’t get a shot off.

These 2 quotes are from The Stepien's scouting report on Rui. Some players struggle defensively because they because they lack effort. Some players struggle defensively because they are physically unable to do what is required of them (hello Roy Hibbert). Other players struggle defensively because they have cannot anticipate what's going on around them. Rui is in this category. I'm sure you took chemistry or calculus growing up. In these classes, some students need to do only 5 or 6 practice questions before they are ready for the test. These students, as they work through a question are able to easily grasp the underlying principles and rules that are at play and then take those rules and principles and apply it to a completely new question. Meanwhile, some students need to work through 50 or 100 questions before they really grasp what is going on. Rui is in the latter category and it impacts both his offense and his defense. The good thing is that this can be improved but he needs to spend way more time in the film room (this is why players watch film by the way).

Look at 43 seconds and 2:58.
https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/art-double-team-keys-wizards-doubling-joel-embiid
Rui Hachimura, Wizards forward: "I think it’s just if you’re going to do it, you gotta go for it. Last night, we were kind of just half-ass and kind of floating. We’ve just gotta be more aggressive from the beginning. We’ve just gotta communicate defensively and help the bigs. I know he’s one of the best players in the NBA, the MVP. We’ve just gotta help the bigs on one of the best players in the league."

This encapsulates Rui Hachimura in a nutshell. The team plans to double team Embiid but what do they tell him specifically? And what you get is what you saw in the above video. Then afterward, coaches sit him down and actually break down what they need from him. And if you go forward in the series his doubles teams improved. If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain. We have to meet our players where they are. Hopefully, Unsled Jr's coaching staff understands this and addresses it. With that being said it is Hachimura's biggest weakness.


https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/rondo-calling-out-mavs-plays-in-playoffs
Rajon Rondo is known for being an on-court coach, and he's doing exactly that in the playoffs. According to Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, Rajon Rondo has been calling out the Mavs' plays throughout the playoffs. As a result, Carlisle has been trying to call fewer plays for his team, and it's working."He always knows what's going on with the other team," Carlisle said. "He's always calling out our plays and that's why we're trying not to run too many plays. He knows them all."

I'm not saying Rui has to be like them, but Rui's is on the complete other side of the spectrum. When you can't anticipate what's going on you have to waste precious moments analyzing and thinking instead of just reacting. So instead of knowing the help is coming and who's going to be open, when the help comes you freeze and now instead of making the defense pay for helping on you and leaving someone open, you're trying to avoid a turnover. Because you can't anticipate the big man diving to the hoop you get their a split-second late and give up an and 1 instead of taking a charge. Because you don't know that you're guy is about to use a flare screen, you focus is on the ball handler, next second you look up and your guy has moved and is getting ready to catch the ball and shoot an open 3. Not being able to anticipate what's going to happen around you makes you a perpetual liability. And when I think about the good and great players in this league, none of them were players that couldn't anticipate.
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#118 » by Gig18 » Sun Aug 1, 2021 11:54 pm

cut him
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#119 » by payitforward » Mon Aug 2, 2021 1:03 am

Kanyewest wrote:I was looking at re-drafts of the 2019 draft just to see where Rui was ranked after hearing someone on a podcast call Rui "a great draft pick". A few had in the 12 range, one had Rui in the mid-20s. Interestingly enough Cam Johnson/Brandon Clarke were in the top 10.

I'm hoping Rui will play better in his 3rd season especially after an encouraging postseason and Olympic games (minus his last game against Argentina).

After Zion & Morant, it wasn't a super strong draft. So far, the best players taken after those two seem to be Hunter, Keldon Johnson, Clarke, Thybulle, & Gafford.

Dylan Windler, Terance Mann, Tyler Herro, Cody Martin, Eric Paschell & Cam Johnson have also looked good sometimes. Cam Reddish played well in the playoffs, so maybe he'll join the success stories. Maybe Rui will too.
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Re: Rui Hachimura 2.0 

Post#120 » by payitforward » Mon Aug 2, 2021 1:21 am

Gig18 wrote:cut him

Classic. Prime does a thoughtful, deep dive on where Rui is right now. A focused, perceptive piece of analysis.

& here you have the reaction -- essentially a mocking rejection. An admonition not to waste time thinking about Rui & his game. "Thinking" is negative. "Analysis" shows "a hater."
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