The final year of the rookie contract
“The Japan Games has been something I have been talking about ever since I was drafted. I’m so happy. It’s a lot of fun, so I hope everyone is looking forward to it.”
On September 23rd, at the “Media Day” held in Washington, D.C., the words that Washington Wizards’ Rui Hachimura said with his eyes shining were impressive.
Hachimura boards a plane to Japan for the Japan Games.
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The Japan Games have been on the table since the moment Hachimura was drafted in June 2019. Time flies, and the year 2022 marks the fourth year in the NBA for number 8. The long-awaited event will finally be held at Saitama Super Arena for two games (September 30th and October 2nd).
The Wizards’ opponent is the reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors, and it’s two games fans won’t want to miss. It goes without saying that Hachimura, who is entrusted with the role of “unofficial host”, is one of the main players of the Japan Games. During the event, Hachimura will act as a guide for the Wizards members and will appear in public in various ways. And with this event, the NBA season, which is extremely important for Hachimura, will start.
Hachimura is entering the final year of his rookie contract after performing reasonably well over the past three seasons. Next summer, he will be granted limited free agent rights, and a multi-year, medium-to-large contract will be in sight. The number of years there and the amount of money will change depending on the work this season, so naturally the motivation should be high.
“[This summer]was the first offseason in my life. I was able to focus on myself and practice. I had a great offseason.”
Judging from Hachimura’s expression during the media day, his condition looks much better than a year ago when he was late to join the team for “personal reasons”. I think I finally got some rest and was able to refresh my mind and body. If that’s the case, you can expect plenty of sharp play early on, and that could be closely tied to his own contract.
