TOKYO (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Japan's star point guard Yuki Togashi is one of the fastest players in Asia, but even he knows he will need to step up at the Asian Qualifiers.

The 1.67m speedster played well for Japan earlier this year at the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, scoring 6.8 points, handing out 2.5 assists and getting 2.0 steals per game, helping the Akatsuki Five make it past the first round.

Togashi, however, believes that for he and his team to make an even bigger splash at the Asian Qualifiers, they will need to pull something special out from their collective hats. Luckily for Togashi and his crew, experienced national team coach Julio Lamas is now at the helm, ready to put a system in place that should help the players function efficiently while also maximizing their talents.

"Of course there are certain expectations, but there is also a degree of freedom in the system," Togashi told SportsNavi. "It also depends on reading the defense and adjusting."

Their first opponents will be the Philippines, who are raring to bounce back after missing out on the Asia Cup Semi-Finals. Against the Filipinos, Togashi's quickness will be extremely crucial.

"I think speed will be important, especially in our first game against the Philippines, which is a great offensive team," he said. "The Philippines are very strong with their one on one plays, as if they are playing street ball. We have to be careful because with their strong offense, they can score 10 points in just a minute or two."

Likewise, playing tight defense will be critical for the Japanese, who are going to host Gilas Pilipinas at the Komazawa Gymnasium.

"We have to step up on defense, including myself, and then from there we have to make sure to get the defensive rebounds, which has been a problem for us," added Togashi. "If we can get the rebounds, I can run the fastbreak."

"I think speed will be important, especially in our first game against the Philippines, which is a great offensive team."Yuki TogashiYuki Togashi

At the end of the day, the former NBA D-League player acknowledges that the most important thing for them is to strengthen their chances of finishing among the top three teams in their group, which means they must come out with a win against the Philippines.

"It doesn't matter if we win by a lot or just one point as long as we win at the end," said Togashi.

FIBA