Hachimura: ‘I feel like I learned a lot during these seeding games’

Washington Wizards rookie F Rui Hachimura finished his first season in the league on Thursday. While he did not play in the team’s final game due to a quad injury,  the Wizards were able to get their first victory in the bubble by defeating the Celtics 96-90.

Without Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans, Hachimura became the number one option for Washington. He was a little up and down in the bubble. Hachimura had three games of 20 points or more, and three games where he was held below 10 points. In seven games, Hachimura averaged 14.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per contest. 

After the Wizards’ victory, Hachimura, who was the first Japanese player ever taken in the first round of the NBA Draft, reflected on his time in Orlando.

“For me, I think it was an opportunity to lead,’ Hachimura said. “Also, to be on the opposing team’s scouting report as the focal point(of the offense). They guarded me much more tightly, but I learned how to operate under those circumstances. I feel like I learned a lot during these seeding games. I hope to build off this experience. It will help me in my NBA career going forward.”

Wizards head coach Scott Brooks was proud of what Hachimura accomplished in Orlando.

“I’m really proud of Rui,” Brooks said. “He stepped up a lot of nights and guarded players that he wasn’t used to guarding. I put him on a lot of smaller players, a lot of offensive players, and I put him on some big players… If we want to go forward as a better team defensively, he’s going to have to guard different types of players..

“I thought he was terrific, and he’s gotten better. I’m proud of him. I love his effort, his IQ, his focus. He’s a sharp young man, but he wants to get better. I thought there was a lot of good positives throughout this year with Rui.”

The future appears very bright for Hachimura, who finished the season averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per gane. He can score in a few different ways and has decent range on his jump shot. Next season, he’s going to have to adjust to playing with John Wall, but with Wall and Beal on the court, Hachimura will get better looks, which should be exciting for him and the Wizards.

Notes:

-Thomas Bryant led the way for Washington against Boston. He finished the game with 26 points and 9 rebounds. Bryant played very well in the bubble, and in eight seeding games, he averaged 18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks a game. Bryant was the team’s leading scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker in Orlando. 

-Washington entered the bubble as the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, but after going 1-7 in Orlando, Washington(25-47) fell below the 10th-seeded Charlotte Hornets. However, before going to Orlando, the NBA decided teams would be seeded in the lottery and assigned odds based on their records through games of March 11. Therefore, the Wizards will have the ninth-best lottery odds.