5 Players The Memphis Grizzlies Can Build Around For The Future
By Chris Kern
Yuta Watanabe
Yuta Watanabe has only played in three games so far this season so it’s hard to say what kind of role we can expect him to have going forward.
He is on a two-way contract this season and has spent the majority of his time with the Memphis Hustle in the G-League.
In 16 career G-League games he is averaging 13.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. He has been doing a little bit of everything for the Hustle.
He has made his force known on the defensive end as well with his 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. In his senior season at George Washington, he was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year.
He has shown off a lot of talent on the offensive end too though. His ability to score the ball in a variety of ways and make plays for others should make him a succesful NBA player.
Watanabe had a huge 32 point performance in a win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants earlier this season where he went 6-10 from three-point range.
He is making just 31% of his 3.8 three-point attempts per game which is something you’d like to see him improve on going forward.
If the Grizzlies continue to pride themselves on the defensive end then there’s no reason Watanabe can’t be a rotational player going forward.
He won’t ever be a star in this league but he continued to improve during his time in college and he will do the same with Memphis.
He is already 24 years old so he may not have quite the development that some of the younger players may but he will get better and hopefully, he will be in a Grizzlies uniform for a long time to come.