Rakuto Arai participated in the pre-draft workout at SR Shibuya[Photo]= Basketball King
Basketball information site
On January 13th, Sunrockers Shibuya, which has the first pick in the first round of “B League Draft 2026”, held “Sunrockers Shibuya Pre-Draft Workout 2026″. Rakuto Arai, a fourth-year student at Nihon University who participated, said, “I thought I would be nervous at first because I had a lot of friends and people I worked with at university, but I was surprisingly relaxed, so I think I was able to show my own play and strengths.”
This pre-draft workout was conducted mainly by the club, unlike the league-sponsored “B League Draft 2026 Combine” held in December. Ten university students who had submitted their draft wishes were invited and evaluated through the club’s unique menu, including 1-on-1 and 2-on-2. The workout, which was held under the watchful eye of SR Shibuya’s leaders as well as current athletes, was an opportunity for the participating athletes to get a feel for professional standards.
Arai is a shooting guard and small forward who is 190 cm and 90 kg. After entering Nihon University from Numazu Chuo High School, he has shown his presence as one of the scorers. “The biggest challenge is the accuracy of the 3-point shot.” As he looks ahead to the professional stage, he has a strong sense of defense, and says, “I think there will be more matchups with non-college-level foreign players, so I want to train my legs and physique to be able to compete regardless of whether they’re Japanese or foreign,” as he aims to further improve his skills.
[Photo]= Basketball King
Many college students turned professional by the start of this season, but Arai said he came this far with the idea of “finishing out the four years and preparing for the draft.” Regarding the current situation where his career path is uncertain until the day of the draft on January 29th, he confessed his true feelings, saying, “There are parts of me that feel anxious,” but he also said, “It’s not something I can control.” He looked forward, saying, “I wish I could go to practice with the team that is calling me and show off my play.The only thing left to do is do it.”
When asked about his future dreams after becoming a professional basketball player, he said that he would like to play as a member of the Japan national team and play for as long as possible, as well as being active in the B League. At what overall rank will his name be called in the draft to be held on January 29th? The fateful day is drawing near.
