Washington Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura has put on a strong first half to his inaugural NBA season. A look at three goals for his final stretch in 2019-2020.
Rui Hachimura is the first Washington Wizards’ rookie since Juwan Howard (1994-1995) to post averages of 13 or more points and 6.0 or more rebounds, per Basketball Reference. So yeah, you could say he’s having a pretty stellar rookie season, injury aside.
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And injury he’s seen. Hachimura missed 23 games this season with a groin injury, albeit all consecutive. Whether that was a padded return via the front office’s caution with their lottery pick or not, that’s a good chunk of the season to spend watching from the bench.
Still, he’s gone up against some of the best, and earned the respect from some of the league’s best, including LeBron James. He’s seen (almost) as much winning as he has losing. Hachimura got to make an appearance in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend and he’s spent this season playing next to a top-15 player in the NBA. Not too shabby.
Fortunately for Hachimura, the ride doesn’t stop here. He’s no doubt enjoyed his near-week off from the NBA’s workweek, but the All-Star break is over now. And the focus for Washington ahead of their first game back on Friday remains the same as before the break: playoffs.
The Wizards are 5-5 in their last 10 games, just a head above water in terms of their eligibility for the playoffs. But four of their next seven games will be against below .500 teams, and the bottom of the East is in a tailspin.
For Hachimura, playoffs aren’t make or break, but there are some goals he can set as he embarks on the second half of an already-memorable rookie season. A look at three.