Heading into his first season with the LA Clippers, Rui Hachimura’s role under head coach Tyronn Lue is simple: score when needed, hustle on the glass, and defend to the best of his abilities. This is pretty much what Hachimura has done over the course of his seven-year professional career, and honestly, it’s worked out for him, as he’s made a living from doing so.
Well, Hachimura has used the FIBA qualifiers to prove he should be utilized as a real scoring option, and someone who could do wonders for the team with plays run for him. The 28-year-old dominated against Saudi Arabia, scoring an efficient 29 points, and in the following game versus Qatar, he dropped a 30-piece, shooting 9-of-15 from the field, with six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
This level of performance from Hachimura for his home country, Japan, is nothing short of impressive, and the Clippers’ coaching staff should be taking notes.
Rui Hachimura should be treated as a legitimate scoring option by the Clippers
Originally, when the LA Clippers needed a bucket, fans expected Tyronn Lue to look to Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram (or Kawhi Leonard, depending on the outcome of the ongoing investigation), and maybe even Bradley Beal. These are three guys who have a track record of scoring effectively at the highest level.
Now, following Rui Hachimura’s performances for Japan in the FIBA qualifiers, he certainly deserves to be in the conversation.
And, in all honesty, how could he not? Japan has trusted him with the ball in his hands, and he’s scored 59 points combined in the first two games, with just eight missed shots. That’s absolutely wild.
Sure, the NBA level may be a bit more difficult, but even then, Hachimura has shown he can shoot extremely efficiently on all three levels.
For context, last season, Hachimura shot 51.4% from the field and 44.3% from three. In the playoffs, where life is so much harder for players given everything on the line, he attempted more from the field and improved his percentages in the process.
These are key signs that if Hachimura were consistently fed the ball and told to score, he could do so with no questions asked.
That said, the Clippers’ coaching staff should at least give Hachimura a chance to be one of their primary scoring options. If he succeeds, wonderful; if he doesn’t, they’ll have learned for future reference.
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