Can Yuta Watanabe stay on the Nets opening roster?Check out how the team is doing - Sporting News

With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving dealt with, the Brooklyn Nets are beginning to finalize their roster for the 2022-23 season.

For training camp, the Nets will be on August 28th (Japan time 29th), the former Toronto Raptors.Announced contract with Yuta Watanabedid.

Watanabe himself reveals that it is a “non-guaranteed camping contract”. That means he will have to compete to stay on the Nets roster when training camp starts in September.

Thank you for all the congratulatory comments, but it’s still a non-guaranteed camping contract ????

I’ll do my best again with a cliff spirit ????

— Yuta Watanabe Yuta Watanabe (@wacchi1013) August 28, 2022

What are Watanabe’s chances of making the Nets roster? The Sporting News unravels what he can bring to the Nets, along with the current roster situation.

What Yuta Watanabe brings to the Nets

Watanabe has spent the last two seasons with the Raptors and has always been strong when coming off the bench. He has proven his prowess as a versatile defender, active cutter, and solid 3-point shooter. It’s a skill that every team in the current NBA wants to utilize.

In the 2020-21 season, Watanabe entered the rotation as the team suffered from numerous injuries and COVID-19 (new coronavirus)-related absences, and participated in a career-high 50 games with the Raptors. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.5 minutes. He has scored in double figures in seven games, including a then-high 21 points against the Orlando Magic.

The 2021-22 season was in and out of the rotation with the Raptors. Still, he has shown time and time again that he always shines when given the chance by head coach Nick Nurse.

The first of his two career double-doubles was his best game as an NBA player. The team lost heavily to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Watanabe scored 26 points and 13 rebounds, his highest with 11 out of 20 field goals, including 2 out of 5 from 3P.

Watanabe’s radiant energy is exactly what the Nets need to complete their roster. He brings a competitive edge to practice and can be used from the bench as an energizer when the team needs a boost in the regular season.

A training camp deal is the first step to competing for a spot on the Nets roster. What are the chances of getting on the roster?

Can Yuta Watanabe stay on the Nets roster?

With the addition of Watanabe, the Nets heading to the training camp now have 15 players. Watanabe aims to join the ranks of forwards Durant, Ben Simmons, TJ Warren, Joe Harris and Kessler Edwards.

Watanabe will bring thickness to the wing layers. Meanwhile, it’s also worth noting that NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Nets are in “pretty advanced talks” with veteran forward Markieff Morris. The addition of Morris will fill more slots in the frontcourt.

Only 15 players, including two on two-way contracts, will be on the season-opening roster. Watanabe can no longer sign a two-way contract as it will be his fifth season in the NBA. Therefore, to remain in the Nets, he must be one of 13 players.

Here’s how the Nets roster stands:

	starter	2nd place	3rd place	4th place
PG	Kyrie Irving	Patty Mills	Alondes Williams (2-way deal)
SG	Lois O’Neal	Seth Curry	Cameron Thomas	Edmund Sumner
SF	Kevin Durant	Joe Harris	Kessler Edwards
PF	Ben Simmons	TJ Warren	Yuta Watanabe
C	Nick Claxton	Dalon Sharp