Rui Hachimura has been on fire for the Washington Wizards as they win their fifth straight game against the Milwaukee Bucks. His play has garnered comparisons to current and former stars. This streak comes just one game removed from missing over a month due to injury and many fans calling for him to be traded.
He has been the driving force of the offense for the Wizards during the absence of Bradley Beal with his scoring. He has also helped boost their defense with his length and athleticism complementing other defensive minded players like Delon Wright and Daniel Gafford incredibly well.
Rui Hachimura has been nearly identical to former star Danny Granger recently.
Rui Hachimura has been an all-around force, making decent plays on defense and driving the offense for the Wizards. During their win streak he has averaged 21.4 points, 1.8 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game. He has also done all this while shooting with incredible efficiency with 60% from the field, 36.4% from beyond the arc, and 78.9% from the free throw line. His play has been nothing short of fantastic.
In comparison during his best year, the 2008-’09 season, Danny Granger put up 25.8 points, 2.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds per game in nearly ten more minutes played in each game. The comparison is absolutely justified.
Many fans have been quick to point to his seemingly random explosion this season. Some have even claimed that his hot streak is due to Bradley Beals injury. There have even been claims that the team has been holding him back and will continue to do so in their quest to continuously be an eight seeded team.
Rui lookin like Prime Danny Granger out there tonight. Can't wait to see him thrive the minute he's on a different team pic.twitter.com/BvxTzJrtms
— Matt Modderno (@MattModderno) December 29, 2022
Danny Granger was an elite all-around player, setting the foundation for what we see many forwards do in the current NBA. Granger did a little bit of everything while helping power the Indiana Pacers on both ends of the ball. Unfortunately, his career was derailed by injuries as he struggled to even get to 71 games played in his last three seasons.
If Rui Hachimura can continue this hot streak and grow into a fully realized version of Danny Granger, he will become the new face of the Washington Wizards, more than making up for Kyle Kuzma’s likely departure. He could give this franchise a future with a championship.