You would expect Stephen Curry or Damion Lee to be leading the 3-point shooting in the league right now, but here we are, with the rising star Yuta Watanabe on top of the list.
No one ever thought that the 28-year-old Japanese small forward would be one of the developments early in this season. He’s been a hard-hustling fan favorite for the Toronto Raptors from the previous two years but now he’s connecting really well with the Brooklyn Nets, topping the NBA with 57.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc. Aside from his hot shooting from the rainbow area, he’s also thriving in field goal percentage, coming in second in the league with 76.6% efficiency.
The two-time 3-point percentage leader Joe Harris beautifully put Watanabe’s current performance into words when he said that the guy “definitely got a flamethrower right now.”
Watanabe is emerging as one of the best players in Brooklyn as he has been the toughest long-distance shooter for the squad. He is able to do these heroics with Kevin Durant getting more attention from the defenders, giving him more space to waltz in and get wide-open buckets. Ben Simmons always pushing the pace when running the ball in transition has also been a big help to Watanabe’s scorching offense lately.
“Yeah, my shots are easy because of KD, Ben, those guys pushing the ball, giving me great passes,” Watanabe said in an interview with The New York Post. “So I’ve got to appreciate them for giving me great passes. And my job is just make those open shots. So, I’m going to just keep shooting with confidence. I know I can do that.”
The George Washington College product is also proving that he’s not just a threat in the scoreboards, he’s also a tough opponent on the other end. He’s one of Brooklyn’s most reliable perimeter defenders, holding down some of the league’s top scorers during switches. You’ll never find him sleeping on the floor because he’s going to be reaching high for the rebounds and following through on fastbreaks.
What does his performance mean for Brooklyn?
Watanabe’s emergence is in perfect timing with Brooklyn starting to gain momentum and winning games. The Nets now have a secret weapon in their hands and they’re managing to get by pretty well especially with the return of All-Star Kyrie Irving and the improvement of gameplay from Simmons.
Last Sunday, the two-way player Watanabe contributed a lot to Brooklyn’s victory over the Memphis Grizzlies after tallying 16 points on 4-6 shooting from deep. He hit all his triples in the pivotal fourth quarter and even got a standing ovation from the Barclays Center crowd, which also prompted KD to express his big appreciation.
The MVP said, “We love his energy. He’s hitting big shots for us. So you always get excited for your teammates, especially guys who come in and don’t necessarily have a guaranteed spot on the team but work their way into the rotation and put their imprint on the game from Day 1.”
With the high expectations for the Nets to become one of the contenders in the Eastern Conference this year, they definitely need a glue guy who does the hustle and can deliver during his minutes.
“So I’m excited for him, and at this point, I think we should expect that he’ll go out there and play good basketball,” KD continued. “I’m not saying he’s going to make every shot and shoot 70 percent from the floor for the rest of the year, but he’s playing solid ball on both ends of the floor. But we expect that from him now.”
If the squad from the Big Apple needs to turn their season around anytime soon, they have to bank on guys like Watanabe to keep the ball rolling in case the Big Three struggles to put their shots up.
The 6’8” Watanabe was signed by General Manager Sean Marks on a humble $1.8 million minimum contract last August 28. This deal doesn’t become guaranteed until January 10, 2023, and because he’s too experienced, the Nets won’t be able to discontinue the deal.
With the numbers Watanabe has been producing for the Nets, and the way he has been spacing the floor as a wing, we know that Watanabe is going places.
