Rui Hachimura has had an impressive rookie season, even if there were some struggles along the way. But, was his first NBA campaign impressive enough to land an NBA All-Rookie First Team nod?
According to NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh, the answer is a clear yes.
"He does, in my book he's first-team all-rookie," Haberstroh said Sunday on NBC Sports Washington's Wizards Pregame Live.
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Haberstroh understands that Hachimura may not get the same attention as other big-name rookies such as Zion Williamson or Ja Morant, but that shouldn't take away from his body of work. Though there were some tough showings at points during the campaign, which is to be expected, Hachimura established himself as a solid scorer.
Yet, what is more impressive to Haberstroh than the 13.4 points per game as a rookie is how Hachimura kept that scoring total despite Washington's situation. The forward was thrown right into the middle of a young roster and asked to create shots. The analyst also noted that Hachimura started playing the sport of basketball at a much later age than other rookies and he's still competing at the same level.
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Hachimura also didn't have the luxury of John Wall, a point guard who could've helped him find more shot opportunities. For times throughout the season, he was asked to be one of "the guys" in Washington, which is no easy task for a rookie. When looking at what he did and who he did it with, Haberstroh thinks the All-Rookie honor makes sense.
"The minutes that he played, the consistency from a scoring standpoint and the fact that he didn't have a true playmaker to work with, John Wall out for the season," Haberstroh said. "It's really been an impressive year for Rui Hachimura and I think he's done a very, very good job considering the environment that seemed like guys were dropping left and right."
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Tom Haberstroh believes Wizards' Rui Hachimura should be NBA All-Rookie First Team originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
