Why is Rui Hachimura not playing for Japan at FIBA World Cup 2023? Reason explored as Yuta Watanabe and co struggle in opener vs Germany

In Japan's opener in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, they struggled in their matchup against Germany without Rui Hachimura on the court.

The Lakers forward announced his decision to reporters on June 27:

"It was a very difficult decision but after the season and a long play-offs, and with my first free agency ahead of me. I made this decision in the best interests of my future NBA career. This summer, I hope to focus on training and getting my body ready for next season."

Fatigue is obviously a huge factor for him along with his decision to prioritize his NBA career with the urgency of free agency at the time.

"I want to thank everyone at the JBA and coach Tom Hovasse for their understanding," Hachimura added. "I really appreciate it. I wish the team nothing but success and will be their biggest fan."

Against Germany, Japan did not have the best of times as Moritz Wagner, Dennis Schroder and Daniel Theis handled their business effectively. Meanwhile, Yuta Watanabe and Yudai Baba were the only players from Japan with double-digits in scoring.

Japan lost to Germany by a score of 81-63, which shows just how much they missed Rui Hachimura and also how strong Germany is.

Japan coach Tom Hovasse Rui Hachimura's absence

Following the announcement of Rui Hachimura's decision to not play in the FIBA World Cup 2023, Japan coach Tom Hovasse gave his comments to reporters on the matter:

"It's extremely disappointing not to be competing with Hachimura given his talent and presence. But we have high hopes for all the players in our current squad, and will continue to work towards achieving our goal for qualifying for the Paris Olympics by becoming the No. 1 Asian team at the World Cup.

"We hope Rui continues to excel in the NBA and look forward to going to battle with him next year in Paris."

Japan, along with the Philippines and Indonesia, are the hosts for this year's World Cup. This will be the first time that three countries will be hosting the international competition.

With Rui Hachimura out, that leaves Suns' Yuta Watanabe as the only NBA player available for Japan in the World Cup.

In a 2022 Basket News article, Watanabe talked about the importance of representing Japan:

"I think it's really important for us to represent our country. When I was growing up, and I said I wanted to be an NBA player, people were like, 'Only one Japanese guy made it to the league, so it's almost impossible. You can't do that.'"

After a decent 2022-23 season with the Brooklyn Nets, the Phoenix Suns signed Yuta Watanabe on a two-year deal for $5 million. We will see if he can make an impact for Japan in the World Cup.