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2019 NBA Mock Draft: Re-evaluating the top prospects

By Brendon Kleen

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Duke Blue Devils forward RJ Barrett (5) with the ball guarded by Florida State Seminoles guard Devin Vassell (24) during the 1st half of the ACC Tournament championship game with the Duke Blue Devils versus the Florida State Seminoles on March 16, 2019, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Duke Blue Devils forward RJ Barrett (5) with the ball guarded by Florida State Seminoles guard Devin Vassell (24) during the 1st half of the ACC Tournament championship game with the Duke Blue Devils versus the Florida State Seminoles on March 16, 2019, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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MORAGA, CA – MARCH 02: Rui Hachimura #21 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs slam dunks against the Saint Mary’s Gaels during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at McKeon Pavilion on March 2, 2019 in Moraga, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
MORAGA, CA – MARCH 02: Rui Hachimura #21 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs slam dunks against the Saint Mary’s Gaels during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at McKeon Pavilion on March 2, 2019 in Moraga, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

. F. Gonzaga. Rui Hachimura. 13. player. 110

Intermittently over the course of the next three weeks until the NBA Draft, we will plug back into a high-profile game from the 2018-19 college basketball season to check back in with some of the top prospects. To re-gauge Hachimura and his teammate Brandon Clarke as well as premier wing prospect Jarrett Culver, we re-watched the Elite Eight matchup between Gonzaga and Texas Tech.

Hachimura was incredible scoring the ball against the Red Raiders in the game. They had no answer for his strength inside, as starting power forward Tariq Owens can’t match Hachimura’s huge frame and he was the only guy on the Texas Tech roster even capable of trying to contain the Japanese scoring product.

Here are our notes from the rewatch:

  • Early on, coach Chris Beard sent double-teams at Hachimura and Hachimura couldn’t handle it. Unless he could draw a foul flailing toward the basket looking for contact, the play ended in a turnover. His lack of basketball IQ showed early.
  • However, Hachimura consistently flashed a skill that will serve him well in the NBA and symbolizes his functional strength well. Few in the country were as effective sealing off the defense DEEP in the post as Hachimura.
  • Hachimura’s on-ball defense as mostly strong inside and on the perimeter. He uses the aforementioned elite strength and solid length to swallow up guards and is big enough to defend most threes, fours and fives in college. He should be able to guard both forward spots in the NBA.
  • As the game went along, he flashed some good decision-making when the attention came in the post, signaling that he adjusted over the course of the game. Two times in the second half, Hachimura found a shooter open for 3 out of the post.

This felt like the best of Hachimura. It’s what NBA teams hope he will be able to do at the next level. Certainly, he has the physical tools to compete against NBA athletes, but combining shot-making and good decisions with raw athleticism is one of the hardest tricks to pull off for a young player.

Check out our full scouting report on Rui Hachimura.

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