JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - Expect Kai Toews to take on a more prominent role for Japan in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
The 26-year-old is named part of the perennial contenders' official 12-man lineup for the August 5-17 showpiece, and is projected to share point guard duties with no less than veteran internationalist Yuki Togashi.
Past tournaments saw Coach Tom Hovasse split the task of running the one between the decorated playmaker and Yuki Kawamura, but the latter won't be around as he's just signed a new deal with the Chicago Bulls.
Team Japan actually has three players listed as PGs, the other being John Harper, Jr. although the athletic 22-year-old is seen to take a backseat for now since it will only be his second stint in the FIBA senior level.
So, this makes Toews an intriguing figure, with fans and pundits alike waiting to see how he'd pounce on this looming opportunity to spread his wings further as he plays in his second consecutive Asia Cup.
Yes, the son of renowned basketball coach BT Toews had already joined the Japanese back in the 2022 competitions in Jakarta, Indonesia, which was actually his debut with the national team.
And since then, he's shown much promise - and readiness to step up to the plate when needed.
A member of the squad that competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Kobe-born hooper has emerged as one of the B.League's more solid players, and that has translated during his most recent tour of duty with Japan.
Toews played for a quartet of matches during the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, playing a key role in their near-sweep of the tourney behind averages of 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists with an efficiency of 13.5.
His best game of the Continental Cup Qualifiers came in an 89-79 victory over Mongolia at the MBank Arena in Ulaanbaatar, where he helped the crew overcome a Blue Wolves side buoyed by an electric crowd.
There, Toews sank a quintet of threes and finished with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor, alongside 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals as he was among the five on the floor that closed it out to erase a 78-79 deficit.
He's never one to shy away from the moment, no doubt, and that should bode well for a program hoping to bring home its first Asia Cup medal since 1997, where it settled for silver behind Korea in Riyadh.
Toews and Japan have been drawn in Group B together with rivals Iran, Syria, and newcomers Guam. To know more about their upcoming FIBA Asia Cup 2025 campaign, click here.
FIBA