Washington Wizards: 3 matchups that will decide first-round playoff series vs. the Philadelphia 76ers

#3 Washington Wizards matchup to watch: Rui Hachimura vs. Tobias Harris

This may be the most underrated matchup of the series. Rui Hachimura is only in his second season but he could really make a name for himself in this faceoff against Tobias Harris. It won’t be easy, though. Harris is coming off one of his best seasons, averaging 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and a career-high 3.5 assists. He’s a borderline All-Star caliber player, so Hachimura will have to bring his A-game every night for this challenge.

I know he’ll be more than ready! All season long, Hachimura has shown that he can be an All-NBA defender later down the line in his career. He just needs to continue to improve his consistency by playing hard on that end of the floor every single possession. He’ll definitely have his work cut out for him in this matchup. Under Doc Rivers, Harris is back in his most comfortable position at the power forward spot. He’s a great three-level scorer and this season he’s shooting a career-best from the field (51.2 percent). Harris can go off for a big game at any moment, so Hachimura has to stay stuck to him like glue and not give him any easy looks that will get him going.

In 62 regular-season games, Tobias scored 25 points or more 12 times. He’s a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams on the offensive end, however, the Wizards were able to contain him pretty well in their three regular-season meetings. Against Washington, Harris averaged 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 31.7 minutes of play. Holding him to five points fewer than his season average is quite the accomplishment, but of course, the playoffs are a different story. Hopefully, the Wizards can replicate their success from the regular season and keep Harris in check. That would drastically improve their chances at a first-round upset.