Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons, three stars for the Brooklyn Nets, get the bulk of the attention from the media. Next up is their fellow teammate Yuta Watanabe, a sharpshooter who has been establishing a reputation for himself as one of the most skilled shooters in the league.
There has been a steady improvement in his role on both ends of the court, and he provides much-needed bench stability for the Brooklyn Nets, as per Basketball Forever.
Kevin Durant Acknowledges Yuta Watanabe's Hot Shooting
He's been one of their top outside threats, and he's delivered. He has the best 3-point percentage in the NBA after 14 games (57.1%), according to Fansided. And if one checks out who leads the NBA in 3-point percentage, he will find out that it is not Joe Harris, Desmond Bane, or Steph Curry. It's Yuta Watanabe.
The Nets forward scored 16 points and hit four of his six three-point attempts in Sunday's 127-115 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Watanabe's stat line so far this year reads 8.1 points, 2.9 boards, and 0.9 helpers per game. He is not only a threat to score but also one of the team's best defenders.
The wing player for the Nets had the best percentage in the NBA for three-point shooting heading into Sunday. He continued his hot shooting from deep as the Nets defeated the diminished Grizzlies, 127-115, at home in the Barclays Center.
Watanabe scored all four of his three-pointers in the fourth quarter against his old team, and as he walked to the bench, he was met with a standing ovation and a sea of smiles from his current squad and coaches.
The sniper forward scored all four of his three-pointers in the fourth quarter against his old team, and as he walked to the bench, he was met with a standing ovation and a sea of smiles from his current squad and coaches. Yuta Watanabe had a "great" game, earning Kevin Durant's praise for his clutch shooting. The leading scorer for the Brooklyn Nets remarked, "We love his energy."
KD was HYPE after this 3 by Yuta Watanabe!
— NBA (@NBA) November 21, 2022
The @BrooklynNets lead in Q4 on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK pic.twitter.com/BvWVZiuVJn
Because Watanabe has been on fire from deep, he was likened to a "flamethrower" by two-time 3-point champion and teammate Joe Harris. Despite all the praise he gets, Watanabe attributes his success in the 3-point zone to open looks because nobody is paying attention to him while Ben Simmons is ratcheting up the pace.
"Yeah, my shots are easy because of KD, Ben, those guys pushing the ball, giving me great passes," Watanabe told The New York Post. He added that it's his task to make the most out of those chan chances, so he will continue hitting those shots.
"I have the confidence to succeed at that," Yuta Watanabe noted.
Rising Basketball Star From the Rising Sun
After four seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors, he became a free agent in August and signed with the Brooklyn Nets.
Throughout 38 games with Toronto last year, he averaged 4.3 points, 2.4 boards, and 11.7 minutes of playing time. In his first 14 games, he is averaging 17.7 minutes per game, 7.5 points per game, and 2.9 rebounds per game, all of which are career highs.
The Japanese sensation was drafted by the Grizzlies in 2018, making him only the second player of Japanese ancestry to ever play in the NBA. He was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan on October 13, 1994.
However, per Sportskeeda, Yuta Watanabe did not play in the Brooklyn Nets game against the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night due to right hamstring tightness. Fans hope that he'll be back soon to help his team bounce back in the current NBA season.
