Chandler Parsons does not want to see Yuta Watanabe in Three-Point Contest: 'He would buckle severely under pressure'
For his part, however, former NBA star Chandler Parsons isn’t buying in on the Yuta Watanabe hype train. There has been some talk about the Nets stud participating in this year’s 3-point contest during the All-Star weekend — a notion that has been completely shot down by Parsons: “You can’t put that man in the 3-point Contest,” Parsons said. “… I think he would buckle severely under pressure.”
Source: Paolo Songco @ Clutch Points
Source: Paolo Songco @ Clutch Points
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Michael Scotto: The Brooklyn Nets will guarantee the contracts of Yuta Watanabe, Edmond Sumner and Markieff Morris, league sources told @hoopshype. Watanabe has become one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA. Sumner has played solid backup point guard minutes. Morris is shooting 48.7% on 3s. -via Twitter @MikeAScotto / January 6, 2023
Watanabe is shooting 11 of 19 (57.9 percent) from the right corner, and a misprint-like 15 of 21 (71.4 percent) from the left. But Saturday his aggressive drives bode well, because defenses are now recognizing his deep shooting prowess. “Yeah, obviously they start taking away my 3s, so I’ve got to start finding other ways to finish and I think I’ve been improved in that I can drive and then I can finish,” Watanabe said. “So I’ve just got to keep working on it. And then I stopped doing that then I think defenders are not going to know what I’m going to do. I’m going to still keep shooting 3s, all kinds of stuff. So it was it was good to see myself back … finishing around the rim.” -via New York Post / January 1, 2023
One Net for whom Christmas isn’t a big deal is forward Yuta Watanabe, a native of Kagawa, Japan. In his tradition, New Year’s Eve through Jan. 2 is much more significant. “The biggest holiday in Japan is New Year,” Watanabe told The Post. “We do have Christmas, but it’s not as big. Christmas is not like a family thing in Japan. It’s more for couples. And then New Year’s is for family, [so] that’s a lot different. “…I’ve been here for like 10 years now. That means I’ve missed the last 10 years [of] New Year’s family gatherings, so I missed that. … But I always, always FaceTime them. Talk to grandma, uncle, my cousins, obviously parents. So I’m going to do it this year, too.” -via New York Post / December 24, 2022