NBA Draft 2019: Best and worst fits for all potential lottery picks
By Trevor Marks
19. Rui Hachimura, 6-9 F, Gonzaga
BEST: Miami Heat
As mentioned in the introduction, the Heat are getting some love on this list, especially if you’re a combo-forward with several flaws and a serious need for patient development. Rui Hachimura is no exception. With Eric Spoelstra regularly throwing out lineups featuring immense size and length — whether it’s playing two 6-7 wings in the backcourt or pairing two 7-footers in the frontcourt, he’s done it — Hachimura would fit right in.
Miami has the culture, roster, coaching staff and training personnel that would be ideal for someone like Hachimura who, while 21-years-old, is a rather “young” 21 based on his limited time in the U.S. after growing up in Japan. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has covered Hachimura’s story extensively, and noted that the forward’s first two seasons at Gonzaga were rough from a developmental standpoint due to the fact that he was still learning English while trying to learn basketball concepts from head coach Mark Few.
And it seems like both player and team recognize the fit — Hachimura is skipping the draft combine altogether, instead going on the private workout route, and it may be due to already receiving a promise from some team. There’s speculation that this team could be the Miami Heat, and, well, that seems like a pretty reasonable bet.
WORST: Minnesota Timberwolves
Standing big and tall with his 6-9, 235-pound frame, Hachimura should seamlessly slot in as a power forward in the NBA, and teams with vacancies at the ‘4’ spot will be paying attention at how he could fit into their offensive and defensive system. A front court pairing of Hachimura and Karl-Anthony Towns would surely pack a punch — both from an offensive standpoint and physicality standpoint — but would be severely lacking on the defensive end. Towns has shown himself to be offense-first, second, and third, both due to mindset and skill set.
Throughout his three-year career at Gonzaga, Hachimura hasn’t shown much promise on that end, although he did improve somewhat throughout his junior campaign. Nonetheless, his lateral quickness and overall defensive awareness is subpar, and pairing two mediocre defenders next to one another in the frontcourt is a recipe for disaster for Minnesota.