Yuta Watanabe

“I don't really feel any pressure. I can control only what I can control.”

“As for my shooting, I really think that what I've done since I was little really paid off. That's become one of my weapons even after I've come to the States.”

“I like school. Actually, I don't really like it.”

“Because I did well at the prep school, I got to have more options as some different universities gave me offers.”

“In the NBA, you have a better diet and strength coaches to make you better physically. And the number of coaches, it makes me feel like there's more of them than us players.”

“My dream is to play someday in the NBA.”

“In my junior year, I became one of the best defenders on my team, and as the years go by my confidence gets even higher, and that's because of my coach.”

“I just want to keep working hard. I just want to keep improving myself. And I just want to prove people that I can play in the real game.”

“I'd play every position when I was in elementary school and junior high. I was playing as guard, too.”

“When I came to America, I had some surprises at first, but I could soon adjust.”

“Baseball is the biggest sport in Japan, then soccer, and basketball is... People don't really care about basketball.”

“'The Memphis Grizzlies' are always a great defensive team and defense is one of my strengths, so I think that's one thing that I can bring to this team.”

“I just play hard on the defensive end. For me, being a good defender is someone who plays very hard on defense and just tries hard.”

“I didn't know if I would be good enough to play for an American college team. But I wanted to try.”

“Basketball definitely helped, because even though I couldn't speak English, I was able to spend a lot of time with my teammates, which helped me learning English a lot.”

“I'm just really excited about my future and I'm really looking forward to taking challenges... and I just can't wait to start.”

“Madison Square Garden is one of the greatest arenas in the world.”

“I like people to be loyal.”

“I'm a basketball player first and foremost. So I want to put basketball above everything else.”

“It's important to strengthen my body while also improving my shot. Shooting and defense are how I'll make my living, so those are the areas I really have to work on.”