Yuta Watanabe wrote by the Sect Leader a few days ago, you should have seen it. The Toronto Raptors have signed Yuta Watanabe to an NBA contract. The contract expires in the summer of 2022, but the 2021-22 season is not guaranteed. In any case, Watanabe can stay with the Raptors through the season and even have a chance to play in the playoffs (if the team can score).
We can see that not only Japan, but also other countries in Asia are also making progress. The Philippines naturalized Clarkson, who has averaged 17.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Jazz this season, making him the best sixth-man favorite. According to NBA celebrity Shams, Philippine center Kay Soto will sign with the Australian League (NBL) Adelaide 36ers.
Some fans don't understand: join an NBL, what's the fuss? Born in 2002, Kay Soto is 2.21 meters tall. In May 2020, he decided to abandon the NCAA to join the Development League Selection Team, but his performance was mediocre. Soto wants to learn three goals, first hone in the NBL for a year, and then participate in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Since not playing in the NCAA, Kay Soto's draft pick is predicted at the end of the first round, or in the middle of the second round. Soto is ranked 61st in the 2020 National High School Rankings; he is ranked 10th in the center position. After he abandoned the NCAA, a number of La Liga and Bundesliga teams also extended invitations to Soto, who aspired to be the first Native Philippine player to enter the NBA.
At the 2018 U16 World Youth Championships, Soto made his debut. He slashed a terrifying stat of 26 points, 21 boards and 6 hats, and a dreamy footstep that was impressive. Similar in height, weight and arm span, Soto won the title of "Philippine Zhou Qi". The basics are solid, the ability to finish under the basket is excellent, and his draft ceiling is Porzingis!
On the same day that Soto joined the NBL, UCLA guard Johnny Juzan announced on social media that he had decided to participate in this year's NBA draft. Chu Zan, a Vietnamese-American with a height of 1.98 meters and a 20-year-old shooting guard, is probably in the middle of the first round. In this year's NCAA Semifinals, Zhu Zan shot 12 of 18 and 3 of 6 from three points, scoring a game-high 29 points, plus 6 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals!
In his freshman year, Juzan attended Kentucky, but the team didn't give him much of a chance. If he had more playing time, he might have made it to the NBA in last year's draft. In 2020, Zhu Zan transferred to another basketball school, UCLA, when he was a sophomore. He led the team all the way to the final four, and was killed by Gonzaga in the semi-finals. It is worth mentioning that the equalizing layup of UCLA before the kill was scored by Zhu Zan!
In the 2020-21 season, Zhuzan played in 27 games for UCLA, averaging 16 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Shooting 44.1% from the field, 35.3% from three-point range and 87.7% from the free throws! Throughout the NCAA mad March, he averaged 22.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and 4 of 6 games with 20+, the more he played, the better!
Like Hachimura, Chuzan is a mixed-race: his mother is Vietnamese and his father is black-American. Although not a native of Vietnam, Chu Zan is still likely to play for Vietnam in the future, and his brother also plays for the Vietnamese league. This year Zhu Zan enters the NBA, next year Kai Soto enters the NBA, plus Japan's Yamura and Yuta Watanabe, the Asian basketball pattern is really going to change.