Rookies with Nicknames > Rookies without Nicknames
•Rui Hachimura: Japanese Jumpan
•Admiral Schofield: The Admiral
It’s simple math that has been proven over and over again on the court: rookies with great nicknames are far more likely to succeed at the NBA level than first-year players going by what’s on their birth certificate. (I’m not actually sure if there’s any correlation here at all, but it sounds about right)
When the Washington Wizards drafted Rui Hachimura out of Gonzaga with the 9th overall pick in this year’s draft, he was yet to be nicknamed. Since then, he’s signed with Jordan Brand, and the Wizards have already come up with a nickname of their own for the young forward: Japenese Jumpan. It’s not perfect, but it’s solid. Alliteration is always fun. However, it’s certainly setting the bar high with an allusion to Michael Jordan.
The Japanese Jumpman. pic.twitter.com/wxyNLSeH5W
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) June 21, 2019
Usually, I wouldn’t approve of a nickname that is simply created by adding “the” before someone’s first name, but when you have a birth name like Admiral Schofield it works. It works beautifully. Plus, he’s got a younger brother named General. Great first names obviously run in the family. Wizards fans, get ready for The Admiral.
https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/1109469858335354880?s=20