Will drafting Rui Hachimura float the Washington Wizard's sinking boat?

To be completely and utterly frank; for about half a decade now the Wizards have been very, very bad in the NBA draft. Since about 2014, the team's front office river of unlucky and ill-advised draft selections have haunted the district by way of sub par roster depth and virtually non-existent chances of having any legitimate trade assets, resulting in one of the most under performing young cores in the 2010's eastern conference. The trio of John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter actually became a pretty solid one in its own right, even going as far as getting one measly game from a conference finals, (thank Kelly Olynyk for that Wizards fans), but because of the lack of serviceable players around them, they weren't able to show us everything they could've together, which realistically could've been a lot. Now, because of the Otto Porter trade Wizards fans are forced to let go of the opportunity of cheering on one of the best and youngest big threes in the entire eastern conference. And while I understand getting Otto’s big contract off the books was a necessary to free up cap space, getting actual building pieces in return for him would've been helpful for this struggling franchise too. But unfortunately, Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis got shipped over and then shipped out in free agency within a year. But DCRising right?

Anyways, all this disappointment was very much due to the Wizards atrocious drafting. Fans all over the DMV still have nightmares about the tragedy that was Jan Vesley in 2011, and the maddening 3-year career of one 37% FG shooting Chris Singleton, that they unfortunately took with the 18th pick in the draft over guys like Tobias Harris, Nikola Mirotic, and Jimmy Butler. From there a seemingly unstoppable downward spiral went on spinning like the top from inception, giving us a handful of wasted picks that we oftentimes traded for nothing. Jerian Grant in the first round and Jordan Clarkson (that we traded for cash) in the second are notable and infamous instances that come to mind. But fear not, for there is hope for the future of the Wizards.

The GM dragon named Ernie Grunfeld hath finally been slain after 13 long years as one of the longest tenured GMs in the entire league (Tommy Sheppard now takes his place). And the first draft pick chosen after the Grunfeld firing was the 6'8 Japanese-born and Gonzaga grown Rui Hachimura. Notably, I might add, one pick before the uber-talented and extremely smooth shot-creator Cam Reddish that a lot of people have said could've been a major steal in this draft. So Wizards fans are understandably a little bust-anxious.

But alas, to this I must say..., "lighten up DC, we might've actually hit the jackpot this time" because believe it or not, Rui is legit. He's a long and powerful athlete that throws back a bit to the stocky but athletic build of someone like a Jabari Parker, only Rui being just a bit longer at a 7’2 wingspan compared to Jabari’s 7’0. At a height of 6’8 these are extremely good measurements, putting him right in the zone of a classically well-sized SF, however in today's small-ball climate he'll likely be playing a lot of PF next to the quickly improving 6'11 center Thomas Bryant, who the Wizards just threw a 3-yr 25 million dollar contract at. In terms of play-style comparisons, Rui resembles the head-down bruising rawness of dribble driver/slashers such as Giannis Antentokounmpo and Pascal Siakim. Both these guys have incredible length at their positions and oftentimes on offense like to take enormous strides to the basket, opting to use their size and length to finish through and over the top of more grounded interior defenders rather than finishing around. While the reigning MVP is most definitely a stretch when talking about Rui's potential ceiling, methinks the Siakim comparison could serve to be accurate. Both are in the 6'8 range, both have limited but improving outside jumpers, and both promise to be lethal transition scorers due to their athleticism and length. Also, while Pascal is a better proven defender, Rui has all the physical tools to become one just as good.

And even when talking about his drive and work ethic off the court, Rui is no slouch. In Japan he was a bit of an outcast being the mixed child of a Beninese father and a Japanese mother, and with Japan's somewhat infamous culture of being shunning towards those of foreign descent, Rui had to earn all his respect for himself. And on the basketball court he most certainly did, garnering the nickname "Japanese Jumpman" and quickly becoming a sought after prospect. At Gonzaga he learned English in about a year which impresses the crap out of me and tells me he's no joke simply as a worker. So, so far he's proven he's a good kid with an infectious smile with the drive to get better at the things he wants to get better at. And I think if that all comes together, we'll be looking at a really good basketball player that can definitely help a team like the Wizards find their footing and identity in this modern NBA. Watch out for the Wizards and the young buck Rui Hachimura.