Yuta Watanabe, who played at the Toronto Raptors last season, will participate in the FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia from July 12th to 24th as a member of “AKATSUKI FIVE” (Japan men’s basketball team). He vowed to lead the team as a “leader” at an online press conference on July 9. Watanabe has participated in the national team since last summer at the Tokyo Olympics. In the 2021-22 season, which was the 4th year of the NBA, he participated in 38 regular season games at the Raptors, averaging 11.7 minutes of participation, 4.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, field goal success rate of 40.6%, and 3 point success rate of 34.2%. did. Regarding participation in the Asia Cup, Watanabe said, “I had a strong desire to play as a national team player this year if I had time. July was also a good time for me.” At the age of 27, he is proud to take the lead in his role as well. “As a leader and a person who has experienced several international competitions, it will be a big role to convey what he has experienced and learned.” Invited Tom Hovasse head coach who led the national team to the silver medal. Watanabe commented on the commander’s style, “His basketball is a so-called modern basketball. As much as possible, try not to shoot 2 points outside the paint, shoot in the paint area or 3 points. There are many such teams in the NBA. , There is a small lineup where 5 people move their legs firmly and try to create a shot. I like that kind of play and I think it suits me so it takes so much time to adjust It doesn’t take, “he said. When asked about the strengths of the Japanese men’s national team, he said, “In terms of the height of the inside, we are losing to other countries. However, the speed of development and the amount of exercise are the parts we are pursuing now. I think that if we can thoroughly implement this, it will become Japan’s strength. ” Japan will face Iran, Kazakhstan and Syria in the group league.
