Watanabe produced 16 points (6-13 FG, 4-9 3Pt), two blocks and one assist across 34 minutes in Japan's 97-77 loss to Germany in the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
Watanabe served as one of Japan's top options in their blowout loss to Germany, and he had an efficient outing from beyond the arc Saturday. The 29-year-old's status was up in the air due to a calf injury, but he played through it and was on the court for nearly the entire contest. Watanabe and Japan will look to bounce back against France on Tuesday, and a successful Olympic campaign could help him land on an NBA roster this upcoming season.
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Yuta Watanabe: Will start Saturday
Rotowire
Watanabe (calf) is in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Germany, according to CNBC.
Watanabe was uncertain for Saturday's Olympic opener, but he will suit up and start for the Japanese national team.
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Yuta Watanabe: Iffy for Olympics
Rotowire
Watanabe is considered questionable for the 2024 Paris Olympics due to a calf injury, Kyodo News reports.
Watanabe was absent from Japan's most recent exhibition against South Korea on July 8 due to his calf injury. While his status is still uncertain, the team's first contest in the Olympics is on July 27 against Germany.
Watanabe agreed Wednesday to a contract with the Chiba Jets of the Japanese B.League, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com reports.
The terms of Watanabe's deal aren't clear, but he should immediately become one of the B.League's top players after spending parts of the last six seasons in the NBA with the Grizzlies, Raptors, Nets and Suns. The 29-year-old forward appeared in 34 games for Phoenix in 2023-24 and averaged 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.7 three-pointers in 13.6 minutes but didn't make an appearance for Memphis after being sent to the Grizzlies in February on a deadline deal. Watanabe holds a $2.65 million player option for 2024-25, but he'll presumably decline that to facilitate his return to his home country of Japan. He's also expected to suit up for the Japanese national team during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
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Yuta Watanabe: Leaving NBA
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) is not expected to pick up his $2.6 million player option this offseason and will head to the B.League in Japan, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.
Watanabe announced the news during an Instagram Live session. Assuming he does not ultimately return to the NBA, the six-year veteran will bookend his career with stints in Memphis. Although, he played only five games for the Grizzlies this year, as most of his season was spent in Phoenix. His most productive tenure came with the Nets during the 2022-23 season, when the forward averaged 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 triples across 16.0 minutes per game.
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Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe: Ruled out for season finale
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) is out for Sunday's game against the Nuggets.
Watanabe missed the Grizzlies' final 22 games of the season due to a personal issue. He ended the season with averages of 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game across 34 appearances between the Suns and Grizzlies.
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Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe: Out once again Friday
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) is out for Friday's game against the Lakers.
This is Watanabe's 21st straight absence, and it's highly unlikely that he'll suit up for the season finale against the Nuggets on Sunday.
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Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe: Still sidelined
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers.
Watanabe's absence streak will extend to 20 games Wednesday. He has only two more chances to suit up this season -- Friday versus the Lakers and Sunday against the Nuggets.
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Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe: Remains sidelined
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) has been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup against the Spurs.
Watanabe hasn't played since March 1. It's unclear if he'll be able to play again this season.
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Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe: To miss another game
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) will not play in Saturday's matchup with the 76ers.
Watanabe will now miss his 18th straight game. There is no word from the team on any sort of immediate return at this point. Still, his next chance to do so will be Tuesday versus the Spurs.
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Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe: Out once again
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) is out for Friday's game against the Pistons.
Including Friday's contest, Watanabe has now missed 17 games in a row, and it doesn't seem likely that he'll return to action before the end of the regular season. His next chance to play will come against the 76ers on Saturday in the second half of a back-to-back set.
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Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe: Remains out
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) is out for Wednesday's game against the Bucks.
Watanabe is set to miss a 16th straight game, and there's no apparent reason why he's out other than it being a personal matter. As such, his next chance to feature will come against Detroit on Friday, but it wouldn't be shocking if he ends up being ruled out for the rest of the season sooner rather than later.
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Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe: Out again Monday
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Pistons.
Watanabe will miss a 15th straight game. His next chance to suit up will come Wednesday in Milwaukee.
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Grizzlies' Yuta Watanabe: Still out for Saturday
Rotowire
Watanabe (personal) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Magic.
Watanabe hasn't played since March 1. His next chance to suit up will come Monday in Detroit.
