TOKYO (Japan) - Versatility and adaptation are large parts of Yuta Watanabe’s game. Being a relatively tall player at his age playing high school basketball in Japan, Watanabe started out primarily making his presence known close to the basket. As his journey continued on to the United States of America to play at St. Thomas More Prep and eventually George Washington University, he faced bigger and taller players which forced him to learn how to play away from the basket as well.

Even when he made it to the professional ranks, playing in the G-League and the NBA, Watanabe has even embraced the role as a point guard for the team and successfully doing so.

“… we tried to put him in that position, whether he played the small forward (spot) or the power forward (spot) for us,” Wanatabe’s G-League coach at the Memphis Hustle, Brad Jones, said on the “Chris Vernon Show” as reported by Japan Times. “It was somewhat a little bit out of desperation, but we went to him yesterday morning when he got assigned [to return to the G League from the Grizzlies] and we said, ‘Listen, Yuta, do you feel comfortable doing this? I think you can be a point guard for us tonight, and if you’re good, you can give us a chance to win.’

“He was really excited about the opportunity, and he played really well at (the) point.”

The move paid off and the Hustle won that important G-League playoff game in the end.

The on-court versatility of Watanabe was on display for the entire world at the FIBA World Cup in China this year and his off-court adaptability has been just as important to getting him to that moment.

Following a prestigious high school basketball run in Japan at Jinsei Gakuen High School, he quickly rose among the ranks of prospects in the country. Watanabe was named to play for Japan FIBA Asia U18 Championship in 2012, which led to subsequent call-ups at the EABA Championship and FIBA Asia Cup in 2013. From a high school star to riding the pine on the senior men’s national team, Watanabe had to adjust and had to wait but the promise was there and it was evident.

“Watanabe is 201 cm but can play like a guard,” Japan’s former head coach, Kimikazu Suzuki, told Japan Times during a training camp back in 2013. “He’s not good enough to be on this team yet, but eventually he’s going to be [Japan’s] ace player. We all know his capabilities and we intend to help him develop.”

Watanabe had to adjust once again afterwards, moving to the United States to be among the first Japanese-born players to earn a scholarship from a Division 1 school at George Washington. Not only did he have to adapt to a different style of basketball and a different role, Watanabe had to improve his English skills and embrace the American culture, too. This included things as little as celebrating made baskets.

“We told him to find a new celebration because the one he had wasn’t cutting it,” George Washington teammate, Kevin Larsen, told The New York Times back in 2015. “He was, like, jumping in the air making a weird face. So we tried to help him find a new one.”

Watanabe revamped his celebration, sometimes using a “three to the head” gesture made popular by Carmelo Anthony, and had plenty of opportunities to showcase it with his expanded playing time and growing role at George Washington. After a successful tenure with the school and many, many scoring celebratory moments, Watanabe famously made it to the G-League resulting in an NBA debut with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Now 25 years old, Watanabe has accomplished on an embarking path as a youngster oozing with potential to play in one of the biggest stages of the basketball world. His skill set has made this journey possible, just as much as the confidence Watanabe has had in himself the entire way.

"Before I came to the U.S., I heard a lot of reasons why I shouldn't come, and many people said I wouldn't be able to make it," Watanabe said late in the NBA season, as reported by Kyodo News. The 2.06M (6’9”) forward has proved his doubters wrong so far and among his next quests will be to lead the Japan national team to glory. He has always believed that he has the talent and will now have several opportunities to further demonstrate why he continues to believe in himself.

“I’ve felt that I have been able to play on this team since the training camp started,” Watanabe told The Japan Times back even before his Japan senior team debut at the 2013 FIBA Asia Cup.

“I think I’ll gain more confidence the more I play here.”

6 years after his Asia Cup debut, Watanabe has emerged as a star for the national team as expected. In his lone two games at the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Watanabe averaged 17.5 points in wins over Kazakhstan and Iran. He was a star for Japan at the World Cup and should be a lock to make the team later down the road at the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers.

After witnessing Watanabe’s rise in the basketball world, it is not absurd to imagine him leading Japan in 2021 to their first FIBA Asia Cup title in 45 years.

FIBA