At the Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese national basketball team lost to Argentina in the final round of the qualifying league and lost three consecutive games, so they did not advance to the final tournament.

Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe who pulled the Japanese national team.

Two young NBA players who continue to challenge the world are looking forward in regret.

Watanabe Full rotation for offense and defense while making full use of taller than 2m

Three years ago, 26-year-old Watanabe opened the door to NBA = American professional basketball for the first time in 14 years as a Japanese player.

With abundant momentum and a defense that makes use of his height of 2 meters and 6 centimeters, he marked the opponent's ace in this tournament as well, and made a full turn for offense and defense, such as stretching his body even under the goal.



Furthermore, as a captain, he continued to talk to his friends even when the team was inferior.



"It was great to see and learn how star players inspire the team in the NBA. I thought I had to pull," he said, showing his presence in a team with many young players.

Demonstrate the offensive power honed by the Hachimura NBA

And 23-year-old Hachimura, who was nominated in the first round of the adult draft and is now the main player of Wizards.

Armed with his physical strength and jump shots from dribbles honed by the NBA, he demonstrated his abilities with 20 points in the first game of the qualifying league and 34 points in the second game.

I couldn't cope with the marks gathered in the final round Ace

However, the final match against Argentina, which was the biggest, scored 13 points.

I wasn't free to hold the ball, and in the first half I couldn't give the team a rhythm with only two goals.



After the match, he regretted that "the opponent was also scouting well and was thorough in defense," and Watanabe also said, "I knew that Hachimura would have marks, but I couldn't handle it." As I looked back, the team lacked an offensive move in the middle of the game.



Because Hachimura has grown into an absolute ace, there was an issue for the Japanese national team that emerged.

Expectations for young people following Hachimura and Watanabe

Both of them said that they had the experience and consciousness of fighting in the world.



He lost all five games in the World Cup, and lost three games in a row at this Olympics.

The Japanese national team was reminded of the difficulty of achieving the best results against a powerful country that could not even play a match so far.



Hachimura said, "We are a young team. By gaining experience, we can become stronger." Watanabe also said, "To close this gap, young players will always be aware of fighting the world." We have to change. "



In fact, the eyes of young players are beginning to look around the world, with 25-year-old Yudai Baba playing in overseas leagues following the backs of the two.



The strongest representative from Japan in history is still developing.

What kind of growth will you see as a team with the two ace who continue to challenge the NBA?

I want to keep my expectations.