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Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura, who has missed the last four games with right ankle soreness, received an MRI examination yesterday that revealed a bone bruise. He will be listed as out for Wednesday’s game at Brooklyn and his status beyond Wednesday will be determined by his clinical evolution.
Hachimura originally injured his ankle on Nov. 20 in the Wizards’ game vs. Charlotte.
The Washington Wizards coaching search has begun. Via the Washington Times:
As word quickly traveled that the Washington Wizards were parting ways with Scott Brooks, general manager Tommy Sheppard’s cell phone started to light up. There was no shortage of suitors who were already expressing interest in the team’s coaching vacancy, he said.
“I’m getting bombarded,” Sheppard said.
Perhaps Sheppard was trying to quell concerns or hype up the franchise given that there are five other teams in search of a new coach. But after moving on from Brooks following five seasons, one thing is clear: Sheppard will get to choose who he feels is best for the franchise after inheriting Brooks upon his front office promotion in 2019.
This will be Sheppard’s first coaching hire, and he could go any direction with it. For example, does he want an experienced veteran to lead stars Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook? Or does he prefer an up-and-coming candidate who might be better equipped if the Wizards are forced to take a sudden change of direction? Sheppard could even look to make history, leaving open the possibility the team could hire the league’s first woman head coach.
The Wizards core awaiting the next head coach includes Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal in the backcourt, and Davis Bertans, Rui Hachumura and Thomas Bryant in the frontcourt, plus promising rookie guard Deni Avdija. All are signed at least through next season.
The Washington Wizards have exercised their their third-year option on Rui Hachimura and their fourth-year contract option on Troy Brown Jr.
Hachimura is reportedly making around $4.69 million this season and due to earn around $4.9 million next season.
Brown Jr. is reportedly earning around $3.37 million this season and make around $5.17 million next season.
Brown Jr. has appeared in 124 career games (32 starts) and has compiled career averages of 7.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Last season, Brown Jr. averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 69 games (22 starts). He was originally selected by the Wizards with the 15th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Hachimura was named to 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds on .466 shooting from the field. Hachimura led all rookies in rebounds per game and finished fifth in scoring among rookies on the season. He also led all rookies with 18 games of at least 10+ points and seven or more rebounds. Hachimura was selected ninth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Wizards forward Rui Hachimura will miss approximately three weeks with bi-lateral epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), which is an eye infection.
Hachimura was diagnosed with EKC on December 16 and missed the Wizards’ final two preseason games.
The big Wizards news heading into the new season is the recent trade that sent John Wall to the Rockets for point guard Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook and shooting guard Bradley Beal form one of the most talented backcourts in the NBA. On paper, of course. Now comes chemistry development.
The Wizards also re-signed shooter Davis Bertans, and drafted talented rookie Deni Avdija.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year, has been unanimously selected to the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team. As the lone unanimous selection, Morant received NBA All-Rookie First Team votes on all 100 ballots from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Joining Morant (200 points) on the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team are Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn (197 points; 98 First Team votes), Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (189 points; 92 First Team votes), New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (176 points; 87 First Team votes) and Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall (116 points; 28 First Team votes).
With the selection of Morant and Clarke, the Grizzlies have multiple players on the NBA All-Rookie First Team for the first time since the 2001-02 season (Pau Gasol and Shane Battier). Nunn, who played in the NBA G League last season, is the first Heat player named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team since the 2008-09 season (Michael Beasley). Williamson and Paschall complete the NBA All-Rookie First Team as the first and 41st overall picks in NBA Draft 2019, respectively.
The 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of Heat guard Tyler Herro (115 points), Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis II (96), Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (90), Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington Jr. (88) and Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura (74).
The media panel selected five players for the NBA All-Rookie First Team and five players for the NBA All-Rookie Second Team at any position. Players received two points for each First Team vote and one point for each Second Team vote.
The voting was conducted based on regular-season games played through March 11. The seeding games, which were played July 30 – Aug. 14 as part of the 2019-20 season restart, did not count toward voting for the NBA All-Rookie Team or the league’s other traditional end-of-season awards.
The 24-40 Washington Wizards were just good enough to be one of 22 NBA teams invited by the league to their Disney “quarantine bubble” NBA campus in Florida for a season restart focused on playoff seeding. Already without star point guard John Wall this season, the Wizards recently lost the services of star shooting guard Bradley Beal to a shoulder injury. The most compelling player left on the roster, for our viewing purposes at least, is rookie forward Rui Hachimura. Here’s some Wizards practice footage with Hachimura as the focus. Press play:
RUI 🔥⼋🇯🇵 MIXTAPE#RepTheDistrict | @rui_8mura pic.twitter.com/gkt3lh3iRb
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) July 15, 2020
The Wizards injury train continues to plow through the station (I don’t actually know what that means, but it does leave you, the reader, with a correct impression, that the Wizards have a lot of injuries, so for the fun of it let’s go with that), as talented rookie forward Rui Hachimura isn’t close to returning to action just yet. Here’s NBC Sports Washington reporting:
When Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura first went down with a groin injury and underwent a minor procedure, the team said he would miss at least five games before getting re-evaluated. He has since missed seven and now several more weeks can be tacked on to his return timeline.
Head coach Scott Brooks revealed that after the team’s practice on Tuesday, suggesting Hachimura would again be re-evaluated sometime in early- to mid-January. Hachimura, 21, has not only been held out games, he hasn’t been with the team.
And the Washington Post on some of the big picture:
Injuries have plagued the Wizards this season and it appears the start of the new year will not usher in good health.
Before the season started, the Wizards set into motion a cautious approach with injured players and applied for a disabled player exception for John Wall, who suffered an Achilles’ injury in February 2019. Only teams with a player who is expected to miss the season, as determined by a league-appointed doctor, can qualify for the exception. The NBA did not grant the exception. Still, almost 11 months after his surgery, Wall remains out and could sit the entire season.
Along with Bradley Beal scoring big and forward Davis Bertans showing big-time shooting ability, Hachimura turning out to be a talented rookie has been a bright spot for the Wizards this season. Hopefully he does return to action fairly soon.
Wizards forward Rui Hachimura suffered a groin injury late in the first half of last night’s 133-119 win at Detroit. He is out for the next five games and will be re-evaluated when the team returns from their upcoming road stretch.
According to the Washington Post, “Hachimura, who has averaged 13.9 points and 5.8 rebounds through 25 games, sustained the injury in the closing seconds of Monday night’s win over the Pistons. As Hachimura attempted to secure a defensive rebound, teammate Isaac Bonga accidentally made contact, kicking Hachimura between his legs.”
Hachimura, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound rookie from Japan, was drafted 9th overall by the Wizards in 2019, and has started all 25 games he’s played in.
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