Hachimura becomes latest former Wizard to find NBA playoff success

The Washington Wizards have a long, illustrious history of letting players go — and watching them thrive in the playoffs with another team. 

Rui Hachimura is the latest addition to the list. 

Hachimura scored a team-high 29 points for the Los Angeles Lakers in Sunday’s Game 1 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The former Wizards forward, who was traded to the Lakers in January, hit a career-high five 3-pointers and had a highlight dunk over Jaren Jackson Jr — who was recently named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

As the Lakers gear up for Wednesday’s Game 2, Hachimura has already shown he can help swing a playoff game — which is more of an impact than he had in three-plus seasons with Washington. 

“With Rui, I see the type of player he is and can become and I just try to stay in his ear, give him positive motivation, positive messages letting him know how important he is on our team,” Lakers star LeBron James told reporters. “In order for us to reach the goal we want to reach, he has to be a huge part of that and he wants to be. 

“He’s asked me multiple times ‘What can I do to help the team win’ and I tell him exactly what I think he can do.”

This isn’t new territory, of course, for Washington. Just last year, the Golden State Warriors won the title in part because of valuable contributions from Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II — two former Wizards who boosted Golden State’s bench.

With the Wizards, Porter never quite lived up to his max contract while Payton barely got playing time — but both became solid role players for the Warriors. Porter thrived in a smaller role. The Warriors could withstand Payton’s lack of scoring because of his impact on defense. 

Before that, center Dwight Howard — who was limited to nine games in 2018-19 because of a back injury — left in free agency and signed with the Lakers, who he won a championship in 2020. In fact that Lakers squad had four former Wizards: JaVale McGee, Jared Dudley and Markieff Morris.

Those Lakers weren’t the only champion to be propped up by former Wizards, either. The 2004 Pistons famously had Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace — all of whom got away from Washington. That squad also had Darvin Ham, a former Wizards forward who now, coincidentally coaches Hachimura in Los Angeles. 

Other former Wizards to win a title after their stint in the District include Bobby Portis (won a title with Milwaukee in 2021), Jodie Meeks (with Toronto in 2019), Nick Young (with Warriors in 2018) and Shaun Livingston (three times with the Warriors). 

The nature of players going on to have success elsewhere is part of the NBA. The Wizards aren’t the only team to have bad luck in that regard. But Washington’s history is particularly jarring because of the team’s inability to win in —  or lately, even make — the playoffs.

With Hachimura, in particular, it’s understandable why the Wizards chose to move on. Washington’s front office and Hachimura had failed to agree on a long-term extension months before the trade was made. And Hachimura had seemingly fallen out of favor as he had been relegated to a bench role and frustrated with the tendency to take mid-range shots.

Days before he was dealt, Hachimura signaled to reporters that he welcomed a change of scenery.

“I just want to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player,” Hachimura said. 

Hachimura got his wish and he appears to be better off for it. Even if he doesn’t repeat his Game 1 performance — Memphis guard Desmond Bane expressed skepticism to reporters the Lakers would get the same level of play from Hachimura in Game 2 — the Lakers seem to value the forward’s size and scoring off the bench.

And Hachimura doesn’t take it for granted.

“Since I got here, this team, they really believe in me, my shots and my defense,” he said.