Hachimura, Watanabe and Kawamura top 25-man list of Japan candidates for World Cup

TOKYO (Japan) - Akatsuki Japan stars Rui Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe and newly crowned B. League MVP Yuki Kawamura headline the 25-man list of candidates for Japan's squad at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

Hachimura (Los Angeles Lakers) and Watanabe (Brooklyn Nets) had solid seasons with their respective teams.

At the World Cup, the two are expected to lead the team in a tough Group E, in Okinawa, Japan, against Australia, Finland, and Germany.

Japan, coached by Tom Hovasse, could also have star power in Kawamura, Yudai Baba, Yuki Togashi and Keisei Tominaga.

Kawamura raised eyebrows with his playmaking skills at last year's FIBA Asia Cup in Indonesia and then took his performances to an elite level in Japan's B. League this season with Yokohama B Corsairs.

The point guard led the team into the play-off semi-finals with his passing, scoring and defense.

Togashi featured at the Asia Cup as well and then had another terrific B. League campaign with Chiba Jets, who won the Emperor's Cup by beating Ryukyu Golden Kings in the Final. He also spearheaded Chiba Jets' run to the B. League Final, where they fell to Ryukyu. Togashi was a Best 5 selection in the Japanese league for the seventh consecutive year.

Tominaga was another standout performer at the Asia Cup, especially with his three-point shooting and specifically for his inspired performance against Australia. He is a player with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the NCAA.

As for preparation games, Hovasse's team will have quite a lot of opportunities to tinker around with his squad.

Early in July, Japan will play in a two-game series on the 8th and 9th against Chinese Taipei in Shizuoka.

Japan will then take on the New Zealand Tall Blacks on August 2 and August 4 in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture.

Akatsuki Japan will also have exciting warmup games at the Ariake Arena in Koto, Tokyo, against Angola (August 15), France (August 17) and Slovenia (August 19), respectively.

FIBA