Yesterday, the Raptors beat the Magic 115-102 at home, and everyone marveled at the 34-year-old Kyle Lowry's knife not getting old, with 15 assists. But don't forget that the Toronto Team's substitutes have also played a great role in this game, including 26-year-old Japanese player Yuta Watanabe.
In this game, Yuta Watanabe stood up from the bench and played 19 minutes, shooting 3 of 4 (including 3 of 3 from three-point range and 2 of 2 from the free throws), scoring 11 points, plus 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 3 blocks, which was extremely efficient. This season, the 2.03-meter-tall Japanese forward has played in a total of 14 games for the Raptors, averaging 3.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 12.7 minutes per game, and shooting nearly 50% of the three-point shot.
You know, since losing the draft in 2018, Yuta Watanabe has only been able to get a two-way contract in the NBA, he first joined the Grizzlies, and for two consecutive seasons, he can only be a marginal figure, playing a total of 33 games, averaging 2.3 points per game. At the end of November last year, Yuta Watanabe signed a training camp contract with the Raptors and successfully stayed in the team, although he finally got a two-way contract, but he waited for the opportunity and finally waited for the opportunity.
Just before the game against the Magic, the Raptors played the Kings at home on Jan. 30, and Yuta Watanabe just finished the NBA-high 24 minutes of playing time, shooting 4 of 5, with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. It should be said that every team wants a substitute player like him, shooting accurately, defensively, and is a microwave type that is hot on the field. Now at the Raptors, Yuta Watanabe has been more and more trusted by head coach Nick Nas, his ability has been discovered and recognized, years of persistence have finally paid off, the future will surely get more opportunities, and his next contract, I believe it will never be a two-way anymore.
Of course, if you want to talk about the representative of Japanese players in the NBA today, you have to count the Wizards Yamura.
Unlike Yuta Watanabe, Hachimura entered the NBA from a high starting point, in 2019, he walked out of Gonzaga University, was selected by the Wizards with the ninth pick in the first round of the draft, and played nearly 50 games as the main player in the rookie season, averaging more than 30 minutes per game, contributing 13.5 points, 6.1 rebounds per game, and shooting 46.6% from the field. By this season, he averaged 27.3 minutes in nine games he had played so far, averaging 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists per game, shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three-point range. The Wizards are currently in the semi-reconstruction phase, and the 22-year-old Hachimura, while not a cornerstone, is certainly an important part of his future plans.
As a result, Yuta Watanabe and Yamura, like two strong lights of Japanese basketball, have entered the NBA and represent the highest level of Asian players today. As the saying goes, thirty years of Hedong and thirty years of Hexi, once, we Chinese players in the NBA also had a prosperous time in the West, but now this baton has been handed over to the hands of Japanese players. Just because of the arrival of any prosperous world, there must be outstanding players to lead, and this pair of Gemini stars is the answer they give. (Sycamore)