Rui Hachimura, Wizards face quick adjustment from Japan to NBA season

Hachimura gave the Japanese Reporters a laugh when he cleared that one up.

Given this wealth of information, one could expect Hachimura to help guide his teammates through the task they face now that the trip is over, the one that is even more difficult than playing the Golden State Warriors twice during preseason the Wizards lost their second game at Saitama Super Arena 104-95 on Sunday.

Once they land back in DC, the Wizards must reacclimate their body clocks so they can work efficiently towards being in tiptop shape for the start of the NBA season on Oct. 19.

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For me, its just I would say, like: When you need to sleep, you sleep. And when you need to be up, you just stay up, Hachimura said, Laughing as the room once again cracked up.

Hachimura admitted that as a 24-year-old professional athlete who is a veteran of international travel, the whole adjusting thing is easier for him than most. But the Wizards and Warriors will take the next few days seriously to try to mitigate the cost of traveling halfway around the world and back in less than a week.

I think this coming week is probably the most important week of camp given the irregularity of what we’ve just done coming to Japan after only three practices, Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said. And the Warriors Aren’t traveling for the next three weeks or so.

The Wizards, on the other hand, hit the road again on Oct. 10 for a game in Charlotte, then head to New York for their final preseason game, against the Knicks on Oct. 14.

Coach Wes Unseld Jr. said Washington will have the day off Monday after Landing sometime late Sunday night in DC, ease players back into action then in the following days ramp them up for competition all over again. This is when Unseld expects Deni Avdija, who has not yet been a full participant in camp and missed both preseason games because of a left groin strain, to start playing the competitive parts of practice.

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Corey Kispert as of Sunday night in Japan was the more pressing concern he sprained his left ankle in the first quarter Sunday and will have to receive treatment in the air because the Wizards left for their flight home directly after the game.

I just walked by him, there was some swelling well see, Unseld said when asked about the severity of the injury.

But the exhaustion, physical toll and less-than-ideal timetables moving forward were all costs the Wizards and Warriors knew would come due.

During international exhibitions, teams reap individual benefits to be sure, whether that’s putting Hachimura in front of his home fans or expanding the Warriors brand abroad. But they are also serving the league, sacrificing a comfortable training camp at home for the greater cause of spreading the game of basketball and the NBA product around the world.

These games are business trips. If that leads to more Hachimuras coming into the league a decade from now, the Wizards and Warriors say a few days of jet lag are a small price to pay.

Its been fun to watch the Japanese players enter the league and have success, and Im hoping that we have more and more, Kerr said. Part of the reason for a trip like this is to bring the game to young kids in Japan, and hopefully they really play and develop and Wed love nothing more in a few years than to see 10 Japanese players in the league, instead of two or three. Thats the idea.

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I think all in all they really enjoyed the experience, Unseld said. Obviously Rui is a big piece of that. I think they rallied around him, and hes been a bright spot his personality showing more and more, hes home, hes happy, hes excited to be here. Just the warm welcome that we received since we touched down, that certainly makes the trip a lot more enjoyable. I know its a very compressed schedule. Well worth it.

Porzingis said his lasting takeaway from the trip is that he got to experience a new culture and see how a different part of the world supports basketball. Kerr called it an impactful visit that could set a positive tone for the rest of the season. Hachimura said over and over how special a visit it was for him to serve as an Ambassador and tour guide for his team.

It was a special moment for me, this team and this country, he said. This whole trip was special, different, just a great experience for me and this team.

That doesn’t mean players won’t come back to earth on Monday when their bodies are crying out in the middle of the day for a long sleep. Unseld mentioned that the Wizards have planned for that in addition to the few days off, the teams medical Squad has provided guidelines on the ideal nap lengths and times during the day.

Hachimura, for one, plans on taking his own advice.

Just gotta stay up, they said. At night, you’ve just got to sleep.