Japan National Basketball Team Faces Challenge of Filling Hole Left by Rui Hachimura for FIBA World Cup

On July 8th and 9th, the Japan Men’s National Basketball Team played warm-up games against Chinese Taipei at Shizuoka’s Hamamatsu Arena, winning comfortably 108-86 and 92-56, respectively.

These two games are not only the first series of nine warm-up games to be held in preparation for the FIBA ​​World Cup (held in six cities including Okinawa) starting in late August, but also Japanese ace Rui Hachimura (PF/ Los Angeles Lakers) has also attracted attention from the perspective of “who will fill the hole” in response to the withdrawal from the World Cup.

* Position abbreviations = PG (point guard), SG (shooting guard), SF (small forward), PF (power forward), C (center).

How will Horvath HC fill the hole left by Rui Hachimura?See photos related to this article

[The goal of the World Cup is to qualify for the Paris Olympics]

In 2019, he was the first Japanese player to be selected in the 1st round of the NBA Draft, and since then, there is no doubt that Hachimura, who has played on the world’s highest stage, is “Japan’s number one influential player.” His non-participation in the national team has a great deal to do with the success or failure of the Japanese men’s national team, which is aiming for “one win in the world” after all losses at the previous World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics.

However, Hachimura’s withdrawal was within expectations, and the reaction of HC (head coach) Tom Horvath, the players, and most of the faces was calm.

Among them, Hiyu Watanabe (C/Ryukyu Golden Kings), who was selected as a member of the Tokyo Olympics along with Hachimura, said, “In a situation where the World Cup is in Okinawa and a ticket to the Paris Olympics is not guaranteed, he It was a surprise to me that he wouldn’t come.It won’t be easy to become Asia’s top without Hachimura.”

The top Asian team in the World Cup will qualify for the Paris Olympics next summer. For the Japanese national team, that is the realistic goal of the tournament.

So how will the Japanese national team deal with the “absence of Hachimura”? No one has the ability to match the 25-year-old forward. Therefore, realistically, each participant has no choice but to demonstrate their abilities to the maximum.

2023-07-12 00:44:04
#fill #hole #Rui #Hachimura #indispensable #piece #Japanese #basketball #team #win #World #Cup #Basketball #Shueishas #general #sports #magazine #Sportiva #official #website #web #Sportiva