NBA: Statistical projections for the top 10 picks from the 2019 draft
9. Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards
With John Wall rehabbing from a torn Achilles and a Bradley Beal trade still a possibility, Rui Hachimura could be in line to have a big role with the 2019-20 Wizards. After spending three seasons at Gonzaga, Hachimura is considered one of the more NBA ready players in the top-10.
His college career started off very slowly, mostly because of the talent on Gonzaga during his freshman year. It wasn’t until his sophomore year that he got significant playtime and he was not a consistent starter until this past season. However, Hachimura made up for lost time with a great season for Gonzaga.
He was their primary scorer, pouring in almost 20 points per game and did so at a very efficient 59 percent from the field. The one aspect of his offense that isn’t quite there is his outside shooting. While he shot just under 42 percent from three last season, he did so attempting just one per game. In fact over his college career, Hachimura converted on just 31 percent of his 3’s.
The development of his outside shot will be crucial to how high his ceiling can be, but for now, he should be able to have an instant impact on the Wizards offense. Even if the Wizards and Beal agree to a contract extension, Hachimura could be in line to have a big role and put up numbers that reflect it.
Stat Projections: 13.9 points, 4,1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 49% FG, 32% 3PT