Washington Wizards: 4 observations from scrimmage vs LA Clippers

The hiatus did not affect Rui Hachimura’s confidence

Two scrimmages in, and it’s safe to say that the four-plus-month break did not negatively affect Rui Hachimura’s confidence. Without their usual “stars’ on the court in Orlando, Hachimura has stepped up and taken over as the apparent number on offensive option.

After an impressive 18-point, nine-rebound return in the team’s scrimmage vs. the Denver Nuggets, Hachimura was even better against a tougher opponent.

Once again, Hachimura got the scoring started for the Wizards with a strong bucket at the rim.

And even though Kawhi Leonard often guarded him, Hachimura was not intimated by the claw, going right at one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders.

Hachimura has been fairly confident throughout his rookie season, so seeing it in the bubble isn’t particularly surprising. But it’s encouraging to see that the progress he had made wasn’t undone or stunted by the time off. The time – and ten extra pounds of muscle – probably helped.

Hachimura finished the game with 15 points, ten rebounds, two assists, and two steals. While most of his damage was done in the first half, he didn’t completely disappear in the second half.

In the second half, Hachimura was noticeably less effective without a true point guard on the floor. For Hachimura to be max effective, he needs an orchestrator out there to get things started. The Hachimura can do the rest.