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For three days this past summer Yuta Watanabe looked like a totally different player.
His problem for the better part of last season was his unselfishness. While other back of the bench players had no trouble stepping onto the court and letting shots fly in their limited minutes, Watanabe always seemed a little timid. He was so focused on making the extra pass, on helping out his teammates that he’d pass up open looks. If the Toronto Raptors’ offense is predicated on passing up good looks for great ones, Watanabe too often did the opposite. He’d pass up great looks for merely good ones as precious minutes ticked away on the shot clock.
But with Japan’s Senior Men’s Basketball Team this summer, Watanabe was thrust into a different role. He had no choice in Tokyo. When the ball came to him, he was going to have to make a play.
“With the international team I had to be that aggressive every time I touched the ball, even without the ball,” Watanabe said. “I understand that my role is not going to be like that with the Raptors but still I’ve been saying I need to be more aggressive because it makes my teammates a lot easier to score or I can draw attention, I can pass the ball and they can make shots.”
In Tokyo, there was no hesitancy from the 26-year-old forward. In his three Olympic games, averaged 14 shot attempts and 17.7 points per game, both of which ranked ninth in the tournament. It forced him to adapt to a new role, he said, and play outside his comfort zone.
“I know my role really well and sometimes I try to stick to my role more than I have to,” he said. “Last year when a lot of the guys were injured and out I kind of had to push myself to do more and even this summer helped me and I feel like I’m being more aggressive the last few days, so I think I’m doing well.”
Early returns suggest Watanabe has learned from that Tokyo experience. He’s playing with more confidence these days and — although his spot on the roster still isn’t entirely secured — he’s more comfortable entering this year’s training camp than he was last year.
“Yuta’s been balling, man,” Fred VanVleet said Saturday after the team’s open practice scrimmage in London. “Hopefully we can get that out of him under the bright lights but he’s been playing on another level lately.”
Considering the growth he showed last season, his high basketball IQ, and his ability to make the right play on defense at a staggering level, Watanabe’s spot on the roster seems like a virtual certainty at this point even if he’s smart enough not to take anything for granted.
Further Reading
New assistant Trevor Gleeson brings fresh international ideas to Raptors offense
Svi Mykhailiuk looks poised for a bounce-back season with COVID madness behind him
The Raptors are fully invested in Nick Nurse’s shooting school
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