Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA Summer League

1. Hachimura and Brown are ready to play

NBA Summer League is not even close to the highest level of competition, but it was a good gauge of talent for rookie Rui Hachimura and second-year player Troy Brown Jr. Both players impressed in the few games in which they actually got significant playing time.

Hachimura played in three games and averaged 19.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 31.6 minutes per game. He took a lot of mid-range shots, which was his specialty in college, and even made 2-of-6 shots from behind the arc.

The Wizards are encouraging him to expand his solid mid-range game out to the NBA 3-point line.

The Gonzaga product’s final game against the Atlanta Hawks was his most impressive performance, where he put up 25 points on 75 percent shooting, including 2-of-3 3-pointers, to go along with nine rebounds and two blocks.

He was the focal point of the offense without Brown in the lineup and he stepped up. When plays were called for him, he absolutely worked his defenders with crafty interior scores and smart shot selection. He ran with his teammates in transition and owned the paint in the pick-and-roll.

Hachimura is a position-less player.

He can switch fairly comfortably onto most opposing players on defense, and while he does not have the shooting ability of an NBA small forward or the size and strength of an NBA power forward, his advantages come from his smart positioning and smooth arsenal of post moves.

While the rookie showed he can make an impact, Brown was the undisputed leader of the team. He appeared to be playing as if everyone else was in slow motion. He drove past defenders with ease and broke for the ball a step ahead of everyone else.

The former Oregon Duck played big minutes in the first two games but beyond that played just seven minutes in game three. In those two games he averaged 17.0 points and 12.0 rebounds. However, he did have four turnovers in each of those games.

Offensively Brown did a little bit of everything. He played point guard, was involved in the pick-and-roll, provided isolation scoring and even grabbed six total offensive rebounds.

It looked like he could do anything he wanted with the ball and head coach Robert Pack gave him free rein of the offensive scheme.

While the players against him were not all NBA-caliber, the 19-year-old showed mature use of his quickness. When he drove past players, he left them in the dust.

Though he is not the biggest player at 6’7”, Brown collected rebounds at a high rate because of his positioning. He impressed with his effort on the boards, which was a pleasant surprise as he consistently outjumped and boxed out larger players.