23. Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga
Despite finding regular playing time hard to find in his freshman campaign, Rui Hachimura has shown flashes of potential. If he can exceed expectations and lead a depleted Gonzaga team to March Madness, his draft stock could skyrocket.
In just 4.6 minutes per game, the Japanese native put up 2.6 per game. That’s a solid return given how little time he had to find his shots. More impressively, Hachimura’s per 40 stats are insane — 22.5 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game. With more time for Hachimura this season, and taking on a larger role, he could really become one of the most dominant players in college basketball.
At the FIBA U19 Championships, Hachimura led Japan to their first tournament win since 1999. Hachimura put up godly stats: 20.6 points per game, 11 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game in 31.4 minutes per game. He was a dominant force throughout the tournament.
Hachimura struggled to stay in rhythm last season due to the lack of playing time; due to this, he only shot 28.6 percent from behind the arc. However, Hachimura’s long frame and big hands give him unlimited potential on the defensive end.