The 6 ‘8’’ forward hails from Japan, and is currently inducted into the Phoenix Suns roster in the 2023 free agency period. The big man has been representing the Japanese National Team since the age of 18, in 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, he fostered the team to grab the bronze medal, his high-score game was against Macau, where he scored 22 points.
Watanabe all the way shifted to America for pursuing his college career, he attended the Washington Colonials, and was the first Japanese born player who earned a NCAA division scholarship.
The big man started his journey with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he agreed on a two-way contract. He was a bench player for the team, and accustomed to shuttling back and forth between the Grizzlies squad and NBA G League. His time was limited on the court and in total he played only 33 games in two seasons with the team.
After two seasons with the Grizzlies, he eventually traded to Toranto Raptors, and that is where he earned his minutes and showed his raw offensive and defensive game. He was often opted to guard the strong wing players, and in two years with the team he appeared in 88 games and averaged 4.3ppg.
Yuta Watanabe was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the 2023 free agency period and signed a two-year deal worth $5.6 million.
Yuta Watanabe’s age
The Phoenix Suns player was born on 13 October 1994. Last year the forward turned 28.
Watanabe has had a consistent roster in the Japanese squad, he was also a member of the 2016 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament for Japan and tallied an average of 7.0 ppg.
Additionally, he was selected twice for the FIBA World Cup squad for the Japense Team, first being in the 2019 Basketball World cup in china, where he was the leading scorer for his team, averaging 15.4 ppg, and 5.7 RPG, and second for the upcoming World Cup in the Philippines, co-hosted by Indonesia, and Japan.
The team is busy playing their exhibition matches, as this time, they have faced France, South Korea, New Zealand, Angola and Taipei twice. In their 8 tune-up matches, they have won 4 and lost 4.
FAQs
A. The Japanese player and the Phoenix Suns forward is listed at 6 feet 8 inches or 2.03m tall and weighs around 215 lb or 98 kg.
A. In the 2023 free agency, Phoenix Suns rewarded the forward with a two year deal of worth up to $ 5.6 million thus, he will make an average salary of $2.5 million for the next two seasons.
A. Yes, Yuta Watanabe is a left-handed forward for the Phoenix Suns.
A. With an average playing time of 16 minutes, the forward appeared in 58 games and averaged 5.6 ppg and 2.4 RPG.
A. Yuta Watanabe is of japanese descent, and was born to Kumi and Hideyuki Watanabe in Kagawa, Japan.
