During his time suiting up for the Nets, Watanabe wore only jersey No. 18 and put up 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

In the advent of players such as Rui Hachimura, Yuki Kawamura and Yuta Watanabe, the sight of a Japanese player in the world’s premier basketball league is not as rare as it once was. Tabuse was ...