To count

Stalled during Durant’s absence last season, can he avoid a second chance?

Nets forward Kevin Durant is expected to miss about a month with a right knee injury, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

With 1 minute and 5 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter of the heat match of the 8th, Jimmy Butler tried to attack, but was blocked by Ben Simmons and lost his balance, leaning his weight on Durant’s knee which was nearby, collapsing. Durant, who continued to play in a gesture of holding onto his right knee after collapsing with him in the process, quickly returned to the bench.

Last January, Durant missed six weeks with the same left knee injury, but Wojnarowski said the Nets won’t be out for more than four weeks and will be back in less time than last year’s injury. I plan to have another MRI scan in the next couple of weeks to see how I’m recovering.

A year ago, in Durant’s absence, the Nets went 5-17, including an 11-game losing streak. Durant was 27-15 before he left, but when he returned his savings were gone. And now the Nets are in almost the same situation as they were a year ago, with 27 wins and 13 losses.

The Nets are off to a 1-5 start this season and Kyrie Irving also retired due to off the field issues. However, through the Durant-focused efforts of role players such as Nicholas Claxton, Royce O’Neill, and Yuta Watanabe, the team rallied and moved up to 2nd place in the East Conference. Next month will be a big time for the Nets to see if they can continue this good run in Durant’s absence.

Durant has played in 39 games so far, averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. In addition, his field goal success rate was 55.9%, a personal best, and was his first time in a big wheel. It goes without saying that individual players must step up to fill Durant’s void. Simmons, who has averaged 7.7 points so far, which is about half his career average (15.1), while Irving plays a key role on offense, and TJ, who returned in December after a long absence about two years old and has accumulated real combat experience Warren and others need to be more involved in scoring. Also, Yuta Watanabe should be more aggressive with his strong 3-point shooting.

Watanabe, who has fallen into difficulty for fouls, has only 6 minutes to play

A game in which the Nets entered the home of the Bulls. Yuta Watanabe got into trouble with 4 fouls in 4 minutes, and when he scored only 1 goal without a successful field goal, the Nets were unable to improve their defense until the end and lost 112-121, breaking their streak to 12.

Yuta Watanabe, sent on from the second quarter when he was 7 points behind (33-40), didn’t get caught up in the pump feint in the match with Demar DeRozan and raised both hands to deliver a hard shot. As soon as there was contact, he suddenly fired two shots.

However, in the ensuing offense, he made a perfect cut, received the ball in the paint, dodged a shot block, and set up an easy dunk for Ben Simmons heading in. Also, he showed devoted play that doesn’t appear in the numbers, like jumping on the offensive rebound and chipping it to make it my ball, but DeRozan again invited a foul shot.

A little more than two minutes into the match he was called for a second individual foul, but the bench decided to continue playing. Then, he removed the mark with a cut play, calmly dodged the first scorer from the fake shot, acquired a foul shot, scored a free throw and recorded his first score. However, soon after, he came to help and raised his hands to avoid a shot in front of goal, but a foul was called for physical contact. It was his third personal foul in 3 minutes and 15 seconds, and he was forced off the bench.

With 2 minutes and 49 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter, the turn came when he trailed by 5 points, but Watanabe was completely inactive on the day. When he returned to defense unable to decide even as he aggressively shot a 45-degree 3-point shot from the right, the whistle blew with a play flying over Patrick Williams’ dunk block. Although he spread his hands and appealed no foul, the decision was not reversed and the fourth foul was called 30 seconds after he appeared. After that, when he received a corner in a small scene of the shot clock, he was hit by a hard shot from the drive and became a ball in the air.

The Nets, who could not use Watanabe in the final lineup, came close to a possession several times, but were unable to correct their defense until the end and lost. Watanabe, who got into trouble for fouls, scored a goal in just six minutes of the game and could not fully demonstrate his characteristics.

Chiba J Commander “I was able to shoot with good pace and confidence”

On December 31, the Chiba Jets and Sanen Neophoenix played against each other. This game was the first triumphant return for head coach Atsushi Ohno, who led Chiba J. until last season, finishing the last game of the year at 100-70.

First of all, Chiba J will take the lead. As coach John Patrick praised, “I think I was able to shoot confidently right off the bat with good pace.” If you build ideal form, you’ll make five consecutive three-point shots and build a double-digit lead within the first three-and-a-half minutes. In defense, he doesn’t leave Sanen free without creating a gap using many changes. Also, John Mooney, who was on his way, secured a defensive rebound and didn’t give his opponent a second chance, ending the first quarter with a big 26-12 lead.

In the 2nd quarter, Santo, who is chasing a 14-point difference, creates a shooting opportunity by rocking Chiba J with an offense actively moving off the ball when Thirdy Ravena heads a score with a pick and roll with Isaiah Hicks. In defense, fouls were called severely against shooting contests, and allowed points with free throws, etc., but managed to prevent points conceded from inside in the 3-2 zone. And with Kazuki Hosokawa, who scored 9 points including transition 3 only in this quarter, marked by pick & roll and haste to reduce the back to 10 points in the remaining 4 minutes.

Chased by Chiba J, after the required time-out ended just after the gap narrowed to 10 points, Christopher Smith, who had scored 40 points in the previous section, sank his second 3-point shot of the day to stop the flow of Holy. . In the remaining 2 minutes, Vic Law dunked a loose ball from a teammate, and soon after the defense returned to the back of his own goal and showed a rice field block.

In the 3rd quarter, Chiba J began aggressively targeting 3-pointers against Sanen, who continued the zone with no changes. Although the number of successful shots is reduced, it is easier to attack the infield by worrying about the outfield and the second chance of the offensive rebound is exploited. Also, with 5 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, Santo’s fifth team foul was called, and as the offense became easier to develop, Fumio Nishimura and Mooney scored more points from pick plays and the remaining 3 minutes and half of this quarter. I decided the game with 23 points difference.

Sanen’s coach Ohno looks back on today’s bitter triumphant game as follows. “I have nothing to say about this defeat.

Coach Yamamoto: “I am convinced that a good defense will create a good offense.”

In the women’s semi-finals of the Winter Cup, Kyoto Seika Gakuen faces Tokai University Fukuoka. When he went on a 17-0 run in the first quarter, he won 70-47 for 40 minutes on a defensive rebound break, and won 70-47, advancing to the Finals for the second straight year.

Coach Yamamoto Tsunayoshi, who led the team to a clear victory, looks back on the match like this. “We had to think quickly about Tokai University Fukuoka’s countermeasures, so we let the players do everything, but they responded well. I told them to catch loose balls. The most important thing is to avoid conceding goals, which puts more pressure on the opponent. I am convinced that a good defense will create a good attack.”

As Coach Yamamoto says, from the first quarter, Tokai University Fukuoka’s main pillar Fal Aminata could not be denied, and Izoje Uche, who recorded two block shots, showed tough defense. And Uchae didn’t give the initiative to the end because he ran in transition and scored a goal. Woo Chae, who scored 13 points, said: “I definitely don’t want to lose. I didn’t want to get frustrated, so I could keep working hard until the end.”

Kyoto Seika had a big lead in the transition, but also outplayed the offense in the midfield. Yuka Yagi says, “I had a feeling I was going to score because I was matched up with other international students,” as does centered infielder Uche, who led the offense as he recorded a game-high 17 come-up points.

Yagi showed his presence in terms of scoring, but his words after the match were about defense. “In yesterday’s meeting it was said that starting defense is important. Everyone was aware of this and I was able to do it on the pitch. It was a good thing that we managed to keep the points conceded.”

Yagi, who has become the team’s best player, also puts defense first, and Kyoto Seika allowed an average of 47.5 points after four games, boasting one of the most solid defenses in the tournament. As coach Yamamoto says, the team, which took the lead from the defense, returned to the final last year after drinking tears of frustration. Yagi, who lost his dream by 4 points last year, expressed his determination for tomorrow as follows. “I am happy to be back on this stage and I am grateful to many people.

“Kai found me and gave me a great ride.”

The game against the Raptors on December 16 was a big win for both the Nets and Yuta Watanabe. Despite trailing by as many as 18 points, the Nets managed to turn around and Watanabe was active with 17 points, including 6-of-7 field goals and 3 successful 3-pointers.

Of particular note is the comeback 3-point shot that was decided from left corner after catching a kickout pass from Kyrie Irving with 14 seconds left. After the game, Watanabe said, “They know I’m a good shooter. He let me out. I just hit him.”

“I haven’t had a shot in the last two games, but I want to thank my teammates for encouraging me to hit with confidence. Thanks to the team.”

With that, Watanabe’s 3-point shots this season are 48 and 25 successful, a 52.1% hit rate. To be ranked in the NBA’s 3-point shooting percentage rankings, you need to make “82 in a season,” or one 3-point shot per game. At the moment the Nets have digested 30 games, and Watanabe has 25 hits. If this number reaches the number of games played, he will jump to the top of the 3-point hit rate chart. The reason he’s below the target number is because he’s been out for three weeks. In other words, he is a “hidden number one”.

The current high is 48.4% by the Celtics’ Malcolm Brogdon on 45 of 93 hits, which is nearly double that of Watanabe. He is an experienced player who has played mainstay for the Bucks, Pacers and Celtics since this season and is in his seventh year. The Suns’ Damion Lee is second with 47.7%, followed by the Clippers’ Luke Kennard (47.3%) and the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram (47.2%). By the way, Ingram decided 28 of 60, but is currently out with injury. The Pelicans have played 28 games so far, and one more would take their name off the table.

Watanabe’s advantage in competing with them is the environment of the Nets. The main characters of the Nets are Kevin Durant and Kylie, and Watanabe is only a minor role. The number of 3-point shot attempts is limited, but in return you don’t need to create shots yourself and there is no situation where you have to shoot with poor probability, especially when the opponent’s mark is severe. He should wait for the pass in his preferred position and catch and shoot in perfect condition.

Watanabe himself said: “All the 3-point shots I made today came from the corners, so I don’t have to move to find a point. If I run to the corner and wait, I can get the best passes. They are my teammates team, it was nice,” he says with a smile.

“In our team there are a lot of players who can play 1v1, and that’s not my job. If I wait in the corner, they know I’m a good shooter, so they can’t miss. So I’m creating space for my teammates. If I’m marked, I can attack inside, and if my mark is wrong, I can widen. It’s simple basketball.”

This way, Watanabe can focus on shooting with a clear role. Watanabe’s high 3-point shooting success rate is mainly due to his shooting ability, but team preparation also plays a big part.

Watanabe will remain vigilant and focus on increasing his own value within the team, demonstrating his usual cliffhanger spirit, but fan expectations are only rising. Last season, the Raptors were out of the rotation and their playing time was severely limited, but the current situation with the Nets making a highlight like every game has improved dramatically. It would be great if he could focus on his role and climb to the top of the league in 3-point shooting percentage, and if he keeps up the pace, he could be in the 3-point shooting contest at the NBA All-Star Game next February.

With the Nets, Joe Harris competed in the 2019 3-Point Shooting Contest and defeated Stephen Curry to win. Harris, like Watanabe, was a late player, but this event in the fifth year of his career made him an instant popular player. I hope Watanabe goes down the same path as Harris once did.