Yuta Watanabe Earns Standing Ovation From Nets Crowd For His 3-point Shooting Form

The Nets urgently needed a big who could spread the floor, and Yuta Watanabe has shown to be that player. Yuta gives their frontcourt a fresh dimension on a team with players like Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton.

He scored 16 points in tonight’s victory over the Grizzlies on 4-6 shooting from outside the arc. He would also score 20 points in the dramatic victory over Portland, including 5-7 three-pointers.

Yuta has been posted up on either corner of the 3-point arc for a majority of his shots from behind the arc. From the left corner, he’s shooting an absurd 87.5%, and from the right, an equally as absurd 69.2%. 

What’s interesting is that he attempts the same amount of above-the-break 3s in a game as he does corner 3s. His total percentage on corner 3s is 76.2%, while his percentage on above-the-break ones is 38.1%.

Yuta Watanabe once again played one of the best games of his career on Sunday against the Grizzlies. From the moment he checked in, Watanabe completely changed the energy for the Nets.

That all-around performance got the Brooklyn fans excited enough to give Watanabe a standing ovation upon exiting the game.

Yuta Watanabe Adressed The Fans Post Game

Watanabe addressed the crowd postgame, thanking them for love.

“That means a lot to me. Thank you for your help. We’re going to keep getting better. Thank you guys,” Watanabe said.

“You guys can tell how much my teammates trusted in me by how they passed the ball,” Watanabe added. “They were giving me great passes. I just made open shots. That was a team effort.”

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins noted those changes after the game. Per Alex Schiffer of The Athletic, Jenkins felt that Watanabe had sped up his release and increased his confidence. “He’s letting it fly and not thinking about it,” said Jenkins.

Watanabe has indeed improved substantially as a shooter since his first two years in league with the Grizzlies, both in terms of letting it fly and being more accurate.

Year 3-point attempts per 36 minutes 3-point percentage
2018-19 3.3 12.5%
2019-20 2.7 37.5%
2020-21 4.5 40.0%
2021-22 6.4 34.2%
2022-23 5.9 57.1%

 

FOR MORE NBA UPDATES-

Black Hebrew Israelites Demonstrate Support For Kyrie Irving Ahead Of His Return

Kevin Durant Breaks Silence About Kyrie Irving Controversy: I’m not about to tell a grown-a** man what he can and can’t do