Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura talked up Japan's national women's team guard Rui Machida on Saturday ahead of her arrival in the U.S. capital to play for the WNBA's Washington Mystics.
A key member of the women's silver medal-winning Tokyo Olympic team last summer, Machida is set to join the Mystics, the sister club of the Wizards, before the WNBA season starts in May.
Hachimura, who starred for the Japanese men's Olympic team, predicted Machida would fit well in Washington.
"She's a good player (and) I think she chose a good team," Hachimura said in an online interview.
While Machida's signing was announced in mid-February, Hachimura said he had learned about the deal roughly a month ago while speaking with a member of the Mystics coaching staff.
"I said (Machida) really stood out at the Olympics. I also mentioned that I wasn't too bad either," Hachimura laughed.
Having made a late start to his third NBA campaign after taking time off for personal reasons, the 24-year-old Hachimura has hit the second half of the season in strong shape.
He has given Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. reliable scoring off the bench, hitting double digits in the last three games, including 19 in Friday's 117-114 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
"Coach has shown faith in me, so I want to repay that by playing to his expectations," Hachimura said.
At 28-34, the Wizards are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference and once again battling for a place in the playoff play-in games involving the teams ranked seventh to 10th.