Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura is looking forward to playing for the Japan national basketball team in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and he is aiming to use the tournament to prepare for his rookie year in the NBA.
Hachimura, the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, said that he is excited to start his NBA career, but he is also focusing on the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He also revealed that he wants to make an impact in his rookie season as part of his preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“The NBA season is going to start, but before that, there is the World Cup in China and I want to do well there too,” Hachimura said via Kyodo News. ” I want to play well once the season starts hopefully build on that towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.”
Hachimura turned heads in the 2019 NBA Summer League. Wizards head coach Scott Brooks told Zach Rosen of NBA.com that he was impressed with Hachimura's demeanor and his passion for the game. Brooks also praised the Japanese forward for having high basketball IQ, and for the way he interacted with his teammates.
Hachimura averaged 19.3 points on 50 percent shooting from the field on top of 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He was eventually named to the All-MGM Resorts MNA Summer League Second Team.
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