Rui Hachimura ran down the floor, arms trailing out to his side, soaking up the loudest cheers heard at Capital One Arena all season.
The Wizards forward had just assured Washington would play at least 48 more minutes, booking a Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Bradley Beal drove into the heart of the 76ers defense with under a minute to play, and defenders collapsed around the Wizards guard. That left Hachimura wide open in the corner. Beal found him. And when the ball swished through, Washington could breathe a sign of relief — there would be no sweep.
But beyond the immediate — beyond Hachimura’s pivotal 20-point, 13-rebound performance — what the 23-year-old did Monday night showed the progress Hachimura has made, even in four playoff games. And it allows the mind to wander to the future, to more key moments in the playoffs, with Hachimura buoyed by this experience.
“He’s growing up right in front of our eyes,” coach Scott Brooks said. “Sometimes I want these guys to be 27 right now with four seasons of playoff experience. You get it by going through it.”
So here Hachimura is, going through his first playoff experience and playing a big role in why Washington will play another potential elimination game Wednesday. He’s gotten better throughout the series, from 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively, to posting his first playoff double-double.
He’s worked on his 3-pointer throughout the season, too, seeing a rise from shooting 28.7% from beyond the arc as a rookie to hitting 32.8% of his looks in his second year. That mark has improved in the postseason, knocking down eight of his 12 long-range attempts.
Part of Hachimura’s success comes from heightened confidence, a belief to take the shots when they come his way. His 12 attempts were more than any other game this series. But Hachimura’s season as a whole was one of fits and starts.
His season debut was delayed because of bi-lateral epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, a viral infection of the eye. He missed more time with shoulder soreness and then left knee soreness. He landed on the coronavirus protocol list in January, missing the better part of a month while the Wizards navigated the outbreak.
When Hachimura has been on the floor, though, good things tend to happen. He averaged 13.8 points per game in the regular season, and his performance Monday mirrored his best outings.
“When Rui gets that gear, that’s what we need,” Brooks said. “He’s had it. It’s been choppy at times through some of his unfortunate injuries and safety protocols. Seems to ramp up and then something unfortunate takes place. But he’s in a good place. I thought the last couple of games, he’s been really our guy who’s making threes. He hit the biggest one of the night.”
Hachimura isn’t one to let his emotions take over most nights, but in an elimination game with more than 10,000 fans inside Capital One Arena, Hachimura’s excitement spilled over. He celebrated his three as he ran down the floor, putting the finishing touches on the contest.
Even before, though, Hachimura corralled an offensive rebound, then threw down a third-quarter putback dunk over Tobias Harris. He let out a yell, flexing his arms, and the referees handed Hachimura a technical foul. The Japanese native said he never thought he’d get a technical in his career, but the emotions of the moment carried him away.
That can happen in a playoff atmosphere, with so much riding on each point. And his teammates won’t mind the enthusiasm. They want to see a confident Hachimura, and Hachimura recalled postgame how Russell Westbrook always tells him to keep shooting, even if he’s missing.
“Especially for big moments, he say, ‘You gotta be ready,’” Hachimura remembered.
He was ready Monday night, chipping in 20 points — including the dagger 3-pointer — to help carry the Wizards to a win in Game 4. And if Washington has any hope to extend the playoff series further, Hachimura will need to be ready once more Wednesday, willing to take those big shots.
