“A Lot of Kawhi in His Game”: Lakers Veteran Lauds Underrated Washington Wizards Rookie

The seeding games are swinging in full flow as the NBA is functioning smoothly inside the Orlando bubble. The Washington Wizards have not got a good start to their restart campaign and will not qualify for the playoffs this year. However, they have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming years, considering the talent that they have. 

One of the bright young stars the Wizards have at the moment is Rui Hachimura. The 22-year-old is loaded with talent and is often compared to two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard. 

The Wizards lost to the Nets in their last outing and Hachimura had a game to forget. The Japanese national only registered nine points in the 32 minutes that he played. However, this didn’t stop NBA players from resurfacing the Kawhi-Hachimura comparison. 

NBA veteran says Washington Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura is definitely a future star

Jared Dudely is a man who has been in the NBA for several years. By having gained so much experience in the sport, he knows a bright talent when he sees one. The 35-year-old Lakers player posted a tweet on Hachimura, comparing him to Kawhi, after the Wizards lost to the Brooklyn Nets. 

“Out of all the NBA rookies the most slept on is Rui Hachimura…He’s really a 3 playing at the 4 position.. Has a lot of Kawhi in his game! Super skilled, tough, and aggressive! Wizards found themselves a young Star in the future,” Dudley wrote.

This is not the first time an NBA player is comparing Rui Hachimura to Kawhi Leonard, and this won’t be the last time either. Hachimura’s Wizards teammate Isaiah Thomas acknowledged Dudley’s tweet and responded by saying, “I’ve been saying that since the start of season.”

Wizards’ Bradley Beal also shared Dudley’s status to voice his support for the discussion. Beal has compared Rui to Kawhi in the past as well. Moreover, retired NBA player Caron Butler also got in on the discussion to give his experience of watching Hachimura perform. 

Apparently, Butler has watched Hachimura excel with his college team Gonzaga Bulldogs. The 40-year-old lauded Hachimura’s impeccable abilities to stand out on the court. 

SOURCE: Bradley Beal Twitter, Jared Dudley – Twitter