The Toronto Raptors’ Tampa season is on the verge of being lost.
The team is 12 games under .500, and three games out of a spot in the play-in tournament (the Bulls currently hold the 10th spot, a team the Raptors lost to Thursday night 122-113).
Toronto still has a few bright young players who deserve some looks, especially as management eyes season and how to fill out the roster. The Raps lack the first round picks of many other rebuilding teams—the Pelicans, Thunder and Knicks come to mind—so building through the draft will not be easy.
So why not give a shot to a two-way Toronto guy who’s been a fan-favorite for much of the year? What I’m trying to say is we want Yuta? Yuta Watanabe might not be a household name, and he might not be the most talented guy on the roster, but with the Raptors’ season basically in the crapper, he deserves a contract to finish out the year, especially with the Raptors waiving guard Patrick McCaw this past week.
The forward born in Yokohama, Japan, is only the second player from Japan in NBA history, and was the first Japanese player to receive a basketball scholarship from a D-I college program.
Labeled “the Chosen One” by The Japan Times, Watanabe attended St. Thomas More Preparatory School in Oakdale, Connecticut after transferring from Jinsei Gakuen High School in Kagawa.
While the forward might mostly be known as the guy who got dunked on by the No. 1 pick, his play on for Toronto has been invaluable, as he brings size and versatility. He may be 6 feet 8 inches and have a forward’s build, but he’s just as skilled as most point guards.
The basketball genes run in his family, too, as both parents played basketball at a professional level, with his mother even playing for Japan’s women’s national team.
Hopefully those genes really start to show, and the Raptors can take advantage of another hidden gem.
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2021.