As Washington Wizards fans, nearly all of us were highly anticipating how Rui Hachimura and the Japan men’s national basketball team would do. Also, since Hachimura is playing as his country’s cornerstone player, a strong performance by him in the Olympics could help us see what’s in store for next season.
While Japan lost to Spain in their first Group C match today, 88-77, we can remain convinced that Hachimura more than held his own. As you might expect, he scored 20 points on 8-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-11 from three. Toronto Raptors forward Yuta Watanabe added 19 points.