Yuta Watanabe is a Japanese small forward playing for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA. After going undrafted in the NBA draft of 2018, he made his debut with the Memphis Grizzlies after signing a two way deal with them in the 2018-19 season. Since then, he has played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns. The veteran has also won a bronze medal for Team Japan at the 2013 East Asia Basketball Championship in Incheon, South Korea.
In the 2022/23 season, Watanabe played 58 games with the Brooklyn Nets and averaged 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game on 49.1% from the field, with 44.4% from deep end. The next offseason he signed a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, along with a player option for the 2024/25 season.
Alongside stars like Kevin Durant & Devin Booker, Watanabe will look to have a deep postseason run with the Suns in the 2023/24 season.
Yuta Watanabe’s duration in the NBA
Yuta Watanabe is presently in his sixth season in the NBA, having played two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, two with the Toronto Raptors, 1 for the Brooklyn Nets and 1 season for the Phoenix Suns so far.
Yuta Watanabe Position
Yuta Watanabe plays as a small forward for the Phoenix Suns and has played in the same position for all his previous teams in the NBA. As a small forward, he has the responsibility for helping the center and power forward in defending the rim and scoring points for his teams.
Yuta Watanabe’s NBA teams
Yuta Watanabe has played for three NBA teams so far. This is a summary for his performances in each of these teams so far.
Memphis Grizzlies (2018-2020)
Yuta Watanabe debuted in the NBA after signing a two way contract with the Grizzlies after going undrafted in 2018. Through two seasons and 33 games, he averaged 2.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He shot 35.3% from the field, including 37.2% from deep end.
Toronto Raptors (2020-2022)
Yuta Watanabe signed an Exhibit-10 deal with the Raptors during the 2020 Summer League, after which he signed a two-way contract with the team and debuted in the 2020/21 season. He recorded his first double-double in his career during the 2021/22 season. In two seasons with the Raptors, he played 88 games and averaged 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, during which he shot 42.5% from the field, including 37.3% from deep. His free agency kicked in at the end of the season.
Brooklyn Nets (2022-2023)
During the off-season of 2022, Yuta Watanabe signed a contract with the Brooklyn Nets through an Exhibit-9 deal. In his only season with the team, he played 58 games and averaged 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game on 49.1% from the field, including 44.4% from deep.
Phoenix Suns (2023-Present)
Yuta Watanabe is currently playing for the Phoenix Suns after signing a two year deal with the team this offseason. In 12 games so far, he is averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game till now.
FAQs
A. Yuta Watanabe hails from Yokohama, Japan.
A. Yuta Watanabe has played for three NBA teams in his career so far.
A. Yuta Watanabe was undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft.
A. Yuta Watanabe wears jersey # 18 for the Phoenix Suns. He wore jersey # 12 and jersey # 18 for the Memphis Grizzlies and jersey # 18 for the Toronto Raptors.
A. In the 2022/23 season, Watanabe averaged 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game throughout 58 games.
