As the final quarter of the Raptors season turns into an extended audition for next year, Yuta Watanabe is ready for the test.
The intriguing young talent has shaken off long and serious mid-season doldrums to work himself very much into the conversation for the final 17 games of this year and the future.
He’s playing more, he’s playing better and on a team that is going to have a handful of jobs available for next season, the 26-year-old from Japan is playing himself into the mix.
“He’s really, really good defensively and his hustle plays always are good, they rub off on others,” coach Nick Nurse said of Watanabe.