The interviews have been coming lately in two parts. First, Rui Hachimura fields questions in English. Once that session is completed, the Wizards’ top draft pick takes another few minutes to answer questions in Japanese. For both sessions, he’s surrounded by a horde of reporters.
After becoming the first Japanese-born player to be drafted in the first round — ninth overall — Hachimura has generated a considerable amount of off-the-court buzz. But on the court, the 21-year-old forward is entering the NBA as a project.
The Wizards view Hachimura, a 6-foot-8 forward from Gonzaga, as a late bloomer — not surprising, given he didn’t start playing basketball until he was 13.
As part of his transition to the pros, the Wizards are tinkering with Hachimura’s shot mechanics and emphasizing the need to take 3-pointers. In his final year with the Bulldogs, Hachimura hit 41% of his threes — but only attempted 36 shots from deep.
“I’m getting bigger and stronger,” Hachimura said — but so is the competition he’ll face in the NBA. “So I have to work (on my shot) or otherwise, I’m not going to be able to shoot.”
Hachimura made major strides at Gonzaga. As a junior, he scored 19.7 points per game, eight more than he did during his sophomore year. Hachimura became Gonzaga’s go-to scorer, a versatile forward who could score efficiently. He can both post up and is a willing screener in pick-and-rolls.
With the Wizards, assistant Robert Pack said he already sees Hachimura getting comfortable. He noted Hachimura asks good questions.
In a practice session open to reporters, Hachimura did pass up an open 3-pointer to drive past defender Admiral Schofield. He settled for a midrange shot instead, but Pack wasn’t concerned. He praised Hachimura’s intellect, saying he has a good feel for the game.
“You can tell he’s trying to process everything,” said Pack, who will coach Hachimura at Summer League in Las Vegas. “The pace is a little bit more difficult when you get up here (at) this level, so you get tricked sometimes by coverages and schemes. But he’s figuring it out. He’s working hard and seems to be in good shape. … I think he’s in a good place.
“He’ll be better as the weeks go on and we’re looking forward to it.”
It will be interesting to see what sort of playing time Hachimura receives once the season starts. Coach Scott Brooks can be an old-school coach in the sense that he can be wary of letting rookies play through their mistakes. Last year’s first-round pick, forward Troy Brown, was glued to the bench until late in the season because Brooks was hesitant to give the rookie minutes.
The Wizards preferred to let Brown develop in practice and play in the G-League, where he averaged 34 minutes per game in 11 contests with the Capital City Go-Go. Brown eventually cracked Washington’s rotation and became a starter once it was clear the Wizards would miss the playoffs.
Hachimura, though, does have the potential to play solid minutes. The Wizards could lose three veterans who logged time at power forward last season to free agency and the coaches may be more willing to play Hachimura in a rebuilding year.
Interim general manager Tommy Sheppard said he believes Hachimura can contribute right away.
“I know his work ethic is at a high, high level,” Sheppard told reporters at Hachmiura’s introductory press conference. “That, coupled with his foundation of being coached very well, it’s really going to help him as he comes into the NBA. … It’s kind of up to Rui how great he wants to be and how bad he wants to be good.
“That’s the question we asked and I know the answer to that.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.