Rui Hachimura will represent the Washington Wizards at the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery, per Zach Lowe of ESPN.
Other team reps on the virtual lottery dais Thursday, per sources: De'Aaron Fox (Kings); Devonte' Graham (Hornets); Rui Hachimura (Wizards); Brad Daugherty (Cavs!); Leon Rose (Knicks); Arturas Karnisovas (Bulls); and James Jones (Suns).
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) August 18, 2020
The Wizards finished the 2019-20 season in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They went 25-47 without All-Star point guard John Wall, who missed the entire campaign recovering from his Achilles tear.
Rui Hachimura finished his rookie season with the Wizards appearing in 48 games. He averaged 13.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 28.7 percent from beyond the arc and 82.9 percent from the free-throw line in 30.1 minutes per game.
The Wizards should be playoff contenders again next season with Wall and superstar shooting guard Bradley Beal leading the way. The last time both Beal and Wall were healthy was in 2016-17 when Washington got to the second round of the playoffs and took the Boston Celtics to seven games. The two superstars averaged over 20.0 points per game that season.
The Wizards will likely select the best player available in the 2020 draft. The future of the franchise hinges on what Wall and Beal can do in 2020-21. If Washington can make the playoffs and possibly make it to the second round, the front office may look to try and build around Wall and Beal again instead of blowing up the roster and embarking on a rebuild.
Follow Us
Subscribe