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Late Lottery Prospects Should Clips Keep Pick

By Ryan Snellings

NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 21: NBA draft 2018 in Barclays Center in New York, United States on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 21: NBA draft 2018 in Barclays Center in New York, United States on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 14: Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Rui Hachimura (21) during the NCAA basketball game against the LMU Lions on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles. Calif. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 14: Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Rui Hachimura (21) during the NCAA basketball game against the LMU Lions on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles. Calif. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Rui Hachimura – F Gonzaga

The first player we will look at is Rui Hachimura, a forward out of Gonzaga. The Japanese born junior stands 6’8 and weighs in at 225 pounds, which gives him the necessary size to play either forward position in the NBA.

He is athletic and is capable of handling the ball, especially in transition. He’s great at using his size and strength, especially at the rim. Hachimura is scoring 20.7 points per game while shooting an astounding 61.5% from two point range.

He is also a solid rebounder for a wing, grabbing 6.5 per game. His unique size and speed give him the potential to be a great defender, especially given his ability to switch onto both bigger and smaller players.

While all of this would be great for the Clippers, his lack of shooting ability would not. Hachimura only averages one three pointer per game but does convert on 42.3% of them. That seems great, but when you look at the volume, it’s a little more alarming. There’s obviously a confidence issue since he has only taken 26 attempts from deep in 27 games.

His free throw percentage also isn’t outstanding, but his growth from the line has showed an ability to improve his shooting touch. In his freshman year, Hachimura converted on only 54.2% of his free throws, but that increased to 79.5% in his sophomore year while also increasing his volume.

With Danilo Gallinari possibly being a trade piece and Luc Mbah a Moute and Wilson Chandler‘s future with the team being uncertain, Hachimura may be a smart pickup to give the team more forward depth. He will definitely need some work to become a more complete NBA player, but has the potential.