Brandon Clarke rising fast past his peers on NBA Rookie Ladder

6. Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards

13.4 PPG, 5.6 REB, 1.7 AST

Rui Hachimura should be thankful he was drafted by the Washington Wizards at this current moment in time given the kind of touches he’s able to get on a nightly basis.

The team is pretty much devoid of playing defense at this point and has relied on Bradley Beal and Co. to outscore anyone they come in contact with for wins.

A high-tempo offense gives Hachimura more opportunity than he’d normally have as a rookie and he’s shown the versatility and scoring upside to warrant a starting spot in Washington for years to come.

Whether it’s as a spot-up option, in transition or as a roll man, Hachimura can fill it up in a variety of ways.

That’s exciting even for scouts who have watched him for some time, given that he wasn’t always utilized in situations offensively in college outside of the normal spot-up or isolation in the mid-range.

It’s been encouraging to see Hachimura become more comfortable as a high-usage option at the next level, but he still has work to do on his overall individual game.

Just as was pointed out at earlier parts in the season, his creativity off the dribble still needs work. He’s not crafty or explosive in terms of shaking his man, but he’s gifted with enough size to rise up in the right situations and connect on shots over the defense.

That’s saved him in enough play types to start the year, but eventually he’ll run into more and more matchups where he can’t just rise and fire with enough space. Better utilization of a pump fake into a drive will be required and from there it’s a matter of getting to the rack effectively or dishing out when the help collapses and challenges him near the basket.

He’ll get there in time as a more complete scoring option, but it’s just nice to see Hachimura still holding his own in the rankings.