LAS VEGAS — Yuta Watanabe couldn’t have known what time it was.
The Raptors role player, one of the few bright spots from the otherwise wayward season spent in Tampa, Fla., was just a few minutes removed from having cheered on his team at the Las Vegas Summer League. The Raptors lost on Wednesday night, 90-84, to Golden State, but Watanabe, officially on the summer-league roster, was on the end of the bench in a plain black T-shirt, standing when his team scored and constantly shouting encouragement.
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It was an act of very light heroism. Watanabe arrived in Las Vegas from Tokyo in the last 24 hours, having come from the Olympic bubble. Watanabe was one of the leaders of the Japanese men’s basketball team playing in its first Olympic tournament in the nation’s history, the perk of being the host country.
Tokyo is 16 hours ahead of Las Vegas, so Watanabe’s head had to be spinning. Watanabe didn’t have to be at the Thomas & Mack Center. He could have used jet lag to buy him at least another day. Nobody would have questioned it.
Still, Watanabe was there. Given that his contract is not guaranteed past the $375,000 he already earned for being on the roster past Monday, there was some selfish motivation, especially since the Raptors have spent most of free agency bringing in similar players to compete with him for the team’s final roster spots. It certainly looks good that he made the effort. He surely didn’t have to be smiling, though. The game wasn’t particularly enjoyable, especially from a Raptors perspective.
Maybe he was still just riding an Olympic high.
“That was awesome,” Watanabe said about playing in the tournament. “That’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Let’s be clear: It was not perfect. For starters, there was the on-court performance. Japan, ranked 35th in the world by FIBA following the Olympics, shared a group with Spain (second), Slovenia (fourth) and Argentina (seventh). The results reflected that with Japan losing its three games by an average of 22 points. After hanging around with Spain, Japan acutely felt the talent deficit.
Regardless, it was a chance for Watanabe to act as a clear on-court leader against elite competition. Watanabe was second to former Washington Wizards lottery pick Rui Hachimura, who he roomed with in the athletes village, in both minutes (35.5) and points per game (17.7). He shot better than 45 percent from the floor, considering he took 42 field goals. (For a point of comparison, Watanabe took about nine field goals per 36 minutes with the Raptors. In Tokyo, he was just below 14.)
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“It was tough to play against Spain, Argentina, Slovenia. They’ve got a lot of experience,” Watanabe said. “For us, that was the first time in the Olympics. I played a totally different role than with the Raptors. I was one of the go-to guys. I had to defend their best player. I had to go rebound. I had to do everything. As a team, it definitely felt like we grew a lot during the Olympics.
“I can definitely bring that experience to the Raptors. I know when I go back to the Raptors my role might decrease, but still, I can use that experience going forward.”
Considering the biggest knock on Watanabe’s game is his hesitancy to assert himself offensively, that flirtation with primacy could be a factor as he tries to crack the roster. His 12.7 usage percentage was the lowest of any Raptors player who played more than 400 minutes last season. Watanabe adapted to Toronto’s complex defensive schemes remarkably well, but they need him to show a little more decisiveness offensively if he is going to stick around.
The smile, though, was less about his performance and more about the experience. As Watanabe pointed out, playing for your country as it hosts an Olympics is something most athletes don’t get to do. It was imperfect, of course, given how the pandemic affected the Summer Games.
“I’m used to it. I didn’t feel weird or anything,” Watanabe said of playing a mostly empty arena. “I haven’t really had the opportunity (in a long time) to play in front of Japanese fans because I’ve been in the United States playing. Also, I wish I could play in front of my family.”
Families were not allowed at events. Watanabe did not get to go to non-basketball events, as those opportunities were fleeting with an emphasis being placed on preventing the spread of COVID-19, especially inside the athletes village.
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Watanabe made an effort not to dwell on those things. Obviously, this was his first time at the Olympics, so he did not have a “normal Games” to compare it to. As such, he was struck by the enormity of the situation frequently.
The opening ceremonies are always among the highest-rated events of any Olympics with the march of nations the centerpiece of the evening. The countries enter the stadium alphabetically, except for Greece entering first and the host nation coming in last.
“That was a long wait. That was a long wait. We waited, waited, waited,” Watanabe said. “When we walked in the stadium, I was like, ‘Man, this is so great.’ I was in the stadium for an hour, listening to the speeches and everything. That did an amazing job, even without fans.”
More to the point, the chance to represent one’s country at the highest level can be intoxicating. Asia is only guaranteed one spot in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, with Iran, China, Korea and the Philippines all currently ahead of Japan in the rankings. Whether through the World Cup or in a last-chance tournament, it would take a major upset for Japan to be on the same stage in 2024.
However, a host Olympics can often act as a springboard for a country’s competitiveness in any given sport.
“We definitely are trying to get to the next Olympics in Paris,” Watanabe said. “Now we have experience. Now we know what to expect. Next time (if we) get to the Olympics, I know we can compete more. We can get some wins. We’ve got to show what we can do in the World Cup and qualify for the Olympics.”
Quickly, Watanabe’s attention must turn to his professional career. The Raptors currently have 10 players on guaranteed contracts, with second-round pick Dalano Banton likely headed for that 11th spot. With David Johnson and Justin Champagnie on two-way contracts, the Raptors can keep as many as four more of the rest of the players invited to training camp with lightly guaranteed contracts. With the Raptors right around the luxury tax, it seems the Raptors will keep fewer than four.
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Along with Watanabe, Sam Dekker, Ishmail Wainright, Isaac Bonga and likely Freddie Gillespie vying for spots, the Raptors will probably add two more players to reach the training camp maximum of 20.
“What I have to do won’t change,” Watanabe said. “I’ve still got to play with tons of energy, make some open shots, play some defence. That’s my focus right now. My contract is not guaranteed yet. I definitely have to be ready when training camp starts. When it starts, I’ve got to show what I’ve been doing and what I’ve gotten better at.”
On that front, playing in Tokyo could not have hurt.
(Top photo of Watanabe: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
