Could he wind up playing for his idol’s old club?
During a new interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports, Brooklyn Nets sharpshooting wing Yuta Watanabe revealed that a certain Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame shooting guard was his favorite player of all time.
“Kobe Bryant,” Watanabe revealed. “I was a big fan of his. I started dreaming of the NBA because of him. I would watch his games on TV. I loved his game and how he competed, how he made shots and everything. Definitely a big fan of Kobe Bryant.”
“I mean … a lot of stuff comes to mind,” Watanabe said when asked which Bryant moment was his favorite. “But the last game (in which Bryant scored 60 points against the Utah Jazz in 2016) … just how he ended his career and that showed just how much work he put into the game. So yeah, the last game he played against Utah. I was almost crying watching that game.”
The 6’9″ small forward inked a one-year, non-guaranteed $2 million deal with Brooklyn over the summer after not being retained by the Toronto Raptors despite a solid 2021-22 season. He now has emerged as one of the NBA’s elite bench shooters.
Through 48 games so far this season, the 28-year-old is averaging 6.6 points on .518/.481/.730 shooting splits and 2.6 boards per game. That 48.1% three-point mark comes on 2.6 tries a game.
Watanabe will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and seems in line for a raise. He could be an interesting replacement option for Rui Hachimura, should the Lakers opt to recruit an older, more reliable shooter with a bit less athletic upside.
