After being selected ninth overall in last June's draft, much is expected of Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura. The 6-foot-8 former Gonzaga standout will be hoping to bring his flair and athleticism to a Wizards side that is currently in a bit of a limbo state. For his part, Washington All-Star guard Bradley Beal already sees a lot of potential in Hachimura. Beal had nothing but good things to say about the rookie, even stating that he considers Hachimura to be an important part of the Wizards lineup.

“He is attentive, he works hard,” the team’s star shooting guard said, via The Japan Times. “A lot of things are probably moving a little fast for him, but he’s okay. He is going to continue to pick things up on the fly. He is a valuable piece to us.”

This is definitely some high praise from Beal himself, who obviously sees a lot of promise in the young Japanese-American.

As for Hachimura, he admitted that he has formed quite a bond with Beal, and that he has actually been spending a lot of time with Beal on the court.

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“I guess that was the case,” Hachimura said when it was pointed out to him. “I wasn’t really aware of that, actually, but since voluntary workouts last week I was always paired with Brad, so I feel like we are developing some chemistry.”

Washington's outlook for the coming season is not very promising, but at the very least, it appears that they have a true bright spot in Hachimura.