Which Washington Wizard is going to have the biggest post break growth?
By Keith Cork
4. Rui Hachimura
Rui Hachimura is the name on a lot of DC fan’s lips when you talk about the future of the franchise. The young man is getting a late start on his NBA career compared to some of his peers, but he’s come out of the gate strong with averages of 13.9 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists over 28.8 minutes per game, on 48.7 percent shooting.
He really made an impression in the Rising Stars game, particularly in the first half as he opened the game with a series of uncontested dunks. The sky’s the limit for the rookie, and I’ve even done some statistical analyses of the young forward and found similarities to players like LaMarcus Aldridge.
Even more recently, he received some high praise from the league’s best player, LeBron James. The kid is going places.
But the problem remains that he’s suffered some injuries this season and it’s limited his growth, somewhat. That just means that there’s an even greater potential for him to break out now after he’s recovered from his latest injury.
He’s appeared in just 30 games this season, but he’s starting to come on, averaging more points, rebounds, and steals in his last 5 games despite playing fewer minutes than his average. And he put up 20 points in the February 11th game before the break.
What would a jump look like? It’s hard to ask for much more from Rui, but the most obvious thing would be the development of a three-point shot. You should see his points climb towards the end of the season, hopefully up to the 18 points per game range, and I’d like to see his three-point percentage climb from 23.6 percent to 33 percent or better by the end of the season.
Who else made the jump? Richard Jefferson in 2003-04 saw his point average jump almost 4 points after the all-star break, due in large part to increasing his three-point percentage from 33.8 to 39.3 percent. In his 3rd season, he averaged 18.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, though it took him 38.2 minutes per contest to put them up. Rui can do it in 30.