The Memphis Grizzlies, the team of Kawamura Yuki, the fourth Japanese player to make his NBA debut, will face off against the Los Angeles Lakers, the team of Hachimura Rui, on November 7 (Japan time), with the match being broadcast live on WOWOW. If both players take the court, it will be the first Japanese showdown since Hachimura and Watanabe Yuta (currently with the Chiba Jets). Basketball analyst Sasaki Chris, who is well known for commentating on WOWOW's NBA broadcasts, spoke about the highlights of the matchup and Kawamura's performance.
--This season, Kawamura made his NBA debut earlier than expected, so we may see a showdown between Hachimura and a Japanese player sooner than expected. What are your honest thoughts on this?
Sasaki Chris: It's amazing, isn't it? Kawamura said he had a three-year plan (to establish himself in the NBA), but it feels like he skipped the "hop" part of "hop, step, jump." Kawamura's luck, or rather his ability to seize good opportunities, is also a big part of it.
-- A showdown between two Japanese players, Hachimura and Watanabe Yuta, has already taken place in the NBA, but I think the matchup between Hachimura and Kawamura will have a different significance.
Sasaki-san: When Hachimura and Watanabe were on the court at the same time (December 14, 2019. At the time, Hachimura was with the Washington Wizards and Watanabe with the Grizzlies), it was a spectacular sight. Whether Hachimura and Kawamura will be on the court at the same time depends on how the game goes, so it's hard to say. However, Hachimura and Watanabe are of the same generation, and both tried their hand at college in the US and had been communicating with each other since before, but Hachimura and Kawamura first met at a training camp before the Paris Olympics, and their relationship was formed from there. In that sense, the arrival of a new Japanese NBA player like Kawamura is an interesting and grateful way of connecting generations.
--Kawamura quickly adapted to the American environment, and after training camp and the preseason, he quickly captured the hearts of his team and fans. It seems that he won his NBA debut not only because of his basketball skills, but also because of his humanity, such as adapting to the culture.
Sasaki: It was both of those things that made it possible. When Kawamura joined the team and entered training camp, he showed his defense in his matchup with Ja Morant, and showed something different with even a single pass. I think he won by showing his basketball skills and his positive attitude. I think it is because he has experienced the big stage in the B League and with the Japanese national team that he is able to play with a completely different mental balance than other Exhibit 10 (non-guaranteed contracts to participate in training camp) and young players challenging the NBA.
In the first preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks, Kawamura turned over the ball as soon as he entered the game, but if he had been an undrafted player who didn't know what his career would be like if he didn't make his NBA debut this year, he would have been dragged down by that turnover and become intimidated, but that didn't happen at all with Kawamura. In fact, I think he is a player who can look at himself very objectively, so it's amazing that he publicly said that he has a three-year plan, and so far he has done nothing wrong.
Kawamura is currently on a two-way contract, and of course he will be aiming for a permanent contract in the future. What do you think are the issues he needs to resolve in order to achieve that?
Sasaki: As Tom (Horvath, head coach of the Japan Men's National Team) said, I want Kawamura to be greedy in terms of scoring as well. Watanabe also scored 40 points in a game for the Memphis Hustle (the Grizzlies' G League team). But he still didn't get a permanent contract with the Grizzlies. Of course, the team situation and the position you play will be different, but Watanabe was unrivaled in the G League. There is a clear difference between the NBA and the G League. If Kawamura goes to the hustle, he will not be convincing unless he can achieve numbers like he did in the Olympics, such as 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 to 8 assists per game. In the past, when Muggsy Bogues (former Charlotte Hornets, 160 cm tall) and players in the 170 cm range were active in the NBA, they averaged double-digit points at the peak of their careers for about three consecutive seasons. Since basketball is a sport where you score points, I think that is absolutely necessary.
Looking at Kawamura's performance so far, he has hardly been able to shoot in the paint, including in the preseason. In last season's B League, 6.9 of his average 20.9 points were from within the paint, and he also made about five free throws, so he basically scores about 10 points from within the paint. As with Horvath Japan, the ratio of shots from within the paint to 3-pointers is 1:1, which is the "golden rule," so I think he needs to prove that he can do it.
--On the other hand, this year marks Hachimura's sixth season in the NBA, and he has firmly established himself. This season, he was in the starting lineup for the first time since his first year, and his 3-point success rate (52.6% as of November 3rd) is also showing good results.
Sasaki: Hachimura has said something to the effect of "I want to see the top," so I think he is very motivated as he enters his sixth season. This year, JJ Redick, who was hired as head coach of the Lakers, has said that Anthony Davis is their ace and wants him to perform at an MVP level. The core of the team's tactics is centered around Davis, so I think it feels great that Hachimura was named a starter before the season even began. One reason is that the Lakers' forward line is thin, but the fact that he is starting the game can also be seen as a message from head coach Redick to Hachimura that "we need you to do it," so I think he has been doing it with a strong spirit so far.
--Do you think that Hachimura is doing so well because he has been given a position and has organized what he needs to do?
Sasaki: That is certainly true. I think that he became clear about what he needed to do at the end of last season while fighting against AD (Davis) and LeBron. As a result, his situational judgment on offense, including his shot selection, has improved, and he has been able to carry that over well into this season. Also, he entered the NBA with much fanfare, being drafted ninth overall in the first round (2019), and being given the starting role, so I think he struggled with the gap between his self-image and the role that the team wanted him to play and the role that he could play.
The NBA is a league that brings together aces from all over the world, so the hierarchy is reorganized. No matter which country's ace you are, if you're in the top 450, you're going to be placed somewhere. But when it comes to the Lakers, it's not realistic to be the first or second best, so I think you've been honing what you need to do.
--When you're in good form, it seems like opponents are going to be marking you more strictly.
Sasaki: Because Hachimura has a high success rate for three-pointers, opponents are reacting more and more that they don't want him to take them, so I think the next step is to drive more frequently. Also, when he takes three-pointers, he used to go in and shoot from the middle range, but now he moves to the side and takes the three-pointer. With his success rate, there's no reason not to take three-pointers, so I want him to take six or seven every game.
--Because of Hachimura and Kawamura, Japanese fans are paying especially close attention to the Lakers and Grizzlies.
Sasaki: Davis has become the Lakers' mainstay, scoring over 30 points in a row, and his performance is fun to watch. On the other hand, everyone tends to say that 39-year-old LeBron shows no signs of slowing down, but that's not the case. He plays a little more energy-efficiently on defense and relies on other players, and he also takes rests on offense. Still, his basketball IQ is high and his 3-pointers have improved, so he's still able to dominate like that. The Lakers' challenge is defense, and judging from the games since the start of the season, it's gotten worse than last season. I wonder how far Davis can carry the team on his own, so I honestly think that in the highly competitive Western Conference, it will be a play-in battle.
--The Grizzlies also missed most of last season with their ace Morant missing, and suffered a series of injuries, which led to the disappointment of missing the playoffs, so I'm sure they have high hopes for this season.
Sasaki: The Grizzlies have had injuries to Morant and Desmond Bane again, but I feel they have more explosive power (than the Lakers), and I think they could be in the top six in the playoff race and get home court advantage (given to the top four teams). However, it wouldn't be strange to see 12 teams in the West competing for the playoffs, and the rankings could change in the end with just one win.
--What will be the highlights of this season's NBA as a whole?
Sasaki: For the past six seasons, the winning team has changed every year, and the situation is such that the strength of the teams is so close that it wouldn't be surprising if any team won. There's no doubt that this season will be a battle of the warring factions, but I think that last season's champions, the Boston Celtics, are the favorites to win, and I think it will be interesting to watch this season to see which team will stop the Celtics from winning again.
Last season, the three veteran stars LeBron, Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 36 years old), and KD (Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns, 36 years old) failed to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Now, with young players who will be the faces of the next decade, such as Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), and Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), starting to compete for the championship, we could say that we are at a turning point in history.
--It seems that thanks to Hachimura and Kawamura, the number of Japanese fans who have never watched the NBA before is increasing.
Sasaki: For those who are not yet familiar with the NBA, I would like them to just go with the flow of the game, relax, and enjoy the offense and defense of the world's top league to their heart's content. Also, many fans will have become aware of the international players playing in the NBA through last year's FIBA World Cup and the Paris Olympics, so they will likely feel closer to the NBA through not only Hachimura and Kawamura, but also through their presence.
* The Lakers vs. Grizzlies match will be streamed live on WOWOW On Demand from 10 a.m. on November 7th.
