Yuta Watanabe's outside shooting a welcome surprise for Nets
Nets forward Yuta Watanabe reacts during the second half of of an NBA game against the Raptors in Toronto on Friday. Credit: AP/Cole Burston
DETROIT — Not long ago, it looked as if Yuta Watanabe’s days in the NBA might be numbered.
Watanabe, 28, wasn’t signed by the Nets until late August. He had been hampered by injuries and struggled to find a role in his two years in Toronto. He played in 38 games last season and averaged only 4.3 points.
The Nets knew something about Watanabe because they had him in summer league in 2019. What they couldn’t have known when they offered him a one-year contract is that they were getting one of the most accurate outside shooters in the league.
Watanabe entered Sunday night’s game in Detroit shooting 53.8% (28-for-52) from three-point range. Because he missed 10 games with a hamstring injury, he hasn’t played in the minimum percentage of games (70%) needed to be listed among the NBA leaders. Clippers shooting guard Luke Kennard leads the league at 48.8%.
Watanabe scored 17 points against his former Toronto team on Friday, going 3-for-4 from three-point range. Watanabe’s teammates love finding him in the corner. Entering Sunday, he was shooting a startling 73.1% (19-for-23) from that spot.
“Everything is easier for me, because I think all the corner threes I made, I was just standing there,” Watanabe said of the Toronto game. “Like I wasn’t moving, I wasn’t finding a spot. As soon as we got the ball, I just run to the corner, wait, wait, wait, and then they give me great passes. I’m just glad they’re my teammates.”
He added: “Because we have so many guys that can create one-on-one, that’s not my job, so I can stay in the corner. Defenders know I’m a good shooter, so they’re not going to leave me, and that creates space for them. If they don’t leave, they can just attack. If they leave me, I’m wide-open. Just make shots. Simple. Simple basketball.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
More Brooklyn Nets
