LeBron James and Anthony Davis aren’t the only Los Angeles Lakers players participating in the 2024 Olympics as Rui Hachimura is playing for his native Japan in the tournament.
Hachimura headlines a Japan team that just qualified for the Olympics and is expected to be their focal point on offense. Hachimura is just one of two NBA players on the Japanese roster, with the other being guard Keisei Tominaga who signed an Exhibition 10 deal with the Indiana Pacers after going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Another notable name is Yuta Watanabe who played six seasons in the league for the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns. Watanabe declined his player option for the 2024-25 season and went back to Japan to play professional basketball with the Chiba Jets Funabashi of the B.League.
Lastly, the team also features Josh Hawkinson who was born in Seattle and played college basketball for Washington State. Hawkinson went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft and went on to sign a professional contract with the B.League. He became a Japanese citizen in 2023.
Japan played six exhibition games, but only won one which was against Korea in a relatively close 88-80 victory. They lost two close games, one to Korea and one to Australia and also had one game finish in a tie against Australia. However, they were severely outmatched against Germany and Serbia who blew them out to wrap up the exhibition slate.
Hachimura didn’t play in the bulk of the exhibition slate likely to save his legs, but did appears in the final two games against Germany and Serbia. Hachimura was the standout in both games, scoring 19 points in 25 minutes against Germany before exploding for 29 points against Serbia.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick said he wants to see Hachimura shoot more 3-pointers and offensive rebound and it looks like he’s taken that feedback to heart. Both Germany and Serbia have several NBA players on their respective rosters, so it was good to see Hachimura thrive despite the two losses.
While Hachimura looks like he is doing well as the primary option for Japan in the Olympics, it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to a lesser offensive role with the Lakers.
During the Olympics though, Japan will have a tough road if they want to advance past the group stages. They are in Group B with Germany, France and Brazil. They top two are guaranteed to advance to the knockout stages, and two third-place group finishers will also advance.
Japan schedule & TV info
Japan vs. Germany, Saturday, July 27, 2024, 4:30 a.m. PT, Villeneuve D’Ascq, France, Peacock
Japan vs. France, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, 8:15 a.m. PT, Villeneuve D’Ascq, France, Peacock
Japan vs. Brazil, Friday, August 2, 2024, 2:00 a.m. PT, Villeneuve D’Ascq, France, Peacock
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