NBA Playoffs: What ‘The Others’ can do for the Washington Wizards in game two

Rui Hachimura needs to take more threes for the Washington Wizards.

Rui Hachimura has shown promise as a potentially solid outside shooter in only his second season, especially when you consider that he does not get any plays drawn up for him. Regardless, he shows flashes of being able to create his own shot with his size and good timing.

But with this being Hachimura’s first post-season, one thing he has to learn as a starter is that starters turn up their output for the playoffs. It might be unfair to ask a player as green as him to do that, but in game one, he only took two threes (and made both).

Philadelphia will be so focused on Beal and Westbrook that Hachimura is bound to find himself open as a result. He needs to go for it and capitalize in those moments. Philly doesn’t respect his jumper enough for him to be a top priority, so why not let it fly if given space? He’ll certainly miss some, but if he can get 18-20 points in and around the perimeter while the stars do their thing, then the Wizards will be tough to stop on the offensive end. They’ll be tough to stop, period.