3 prospects Cavs could target as result of potential J.R. Smith trade with Heat
By Corey Casey
#3: Rui Hachimura – Gonzaga
Rui Hachimura was a three-year starter for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and this past year he led them to the Elite Eight. He is a physical specimen with his size standing at a listed 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds (per Tankathon).
On the season, he averaged 19.7 points on 59.1% shooting, to go with 6.5 rebounds per game (per Sports Reference).
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When you watched Hachimura this year and Gonzaga, he did a terrific job of using his physical size to get excellent position inside which led to easy baskets inside the paint. He also has a very good mid-range game.
He is also someone that has some positional versatility, as he should be able to play at the 3 and 4. Hachimura showed glimpses of an improved three-point shot in 2018-19 (with a 41.7% hit rate), but that was only on 1.0 attempts per game, and he’ll have to improve at that to help spacing.
On the plus side, though, Hachimura could be a versatile and ultimately, plus defender in the NBA that can defend a number of positions.
If he can continue to improve as a perimeter shooter, I believe he can be along the lines of OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors.
Anunoby has similar size at a listed 6-foot-8 and 232-pound frame (per Basketball Reference) and is a very effective (and somewhat switchy) defender.
If Anunoby was healthy for the 2019 NBA Finals, he would fit right in as someone when the Golden State Warriors went small that would be able to play and defend multiple positions, and Hachimura would be that way for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the coming years.