Washington Wizards: 5 Best Games from Rui Hachimura’s Rookie Season

Game Score: 97-85 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder
Game Stats: 35 mins, 19 Points, 8-20 FG, 40 FG%, 0-4 3 PT, 0 3PT%, 3-3 FT, 100 FT%, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0 Blocks, 1 Steal, 1 PF, 1 Turnover, +10

Against a tough Western Conference opponent in the Thunder, Rui Hachimura let everyone know that he’s here to stay. It wasn’t his most efficient game of the season. He finished 8-20 from the field and 0-4 from three. But he was still a +10 net rating overall, which shows that his play was crucial to a Wizards win. The fact that Hachimura was willing to fire up 20 shots in only his second regular-season game as a rookie was also very encouraging.

Hachimura showed his teammates and the coaching staff early on that he’s not afraid of the moment. His confidence and aggressiveness stood out the most in this game. Against the Thunder, the rookie played with a non-stop motor which led to a lot of easy baskets around the rim. He only finished the game with five rebounds, which is less than his season average of six, but his energy was high for all 35 minutes the played.

The Thunder finished the regular season ranked eighth in defensive rating so it’s no easy task putting up nearly 20 points against them, especially for a rookie. In this game, Rui only picked up one foul and had one turnover, showing his natural feel and control of the game. Facing the likes of Danillo Gallinari and Steven Adams, it was nice to see Hachimura hold his own so early in the year. This game gave us a little taste of what to expect from Rui for the rest of the season. And he did not disappoint.