NBA Draft: 4 Forwards the Washington Wizards Should Consider on Draft Night

Rui Hachimura is an intriguing prospect because the things that could be considered red flags could also be encouraging signs of future success. It just depends on perspective. But doesn’t everything?

At 21 years old, Hachimura finds himself on the older end of the draft age pool. But despite being a bit more senior than his draft peers, Hachimura probably has some of the least basketball experience. The 6’8″ forward didn’t start playing basketball until he was 14. Late to the game, his ascent towards lottery pick status has been nothing short of remarkable.

Hachimura started his career at Gonzaga averaging just 2.6 points while seeing less than five minutes per game. But he improved drastically during his sophomore year with an increased role (20.7 minutes per game,11.6 points, 4.7 rebounds) and finally exploded onto the national scene as one of the best players on one of the country’s best teams during his junior season.

As a junior, Hachimura averaged 19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on his way to becoming a consensus All-American and the West Coast Conference Player of the Year.

Hachimura has shown consistent and continued growth and improvement up until this point, and hopefully, that will continue in the NBA.

Despite shooting over 40 percent (0.417) from three during his final year at Gonzaga, Hachimura did often rely on his size and strength to convert near the rim and bully his opponents out of rebounds. That won’t be so easy at the NBA level.