There is no Kawamura, no Togashi. Korean basketball warm-up. Josh Hawkins, the No. 1 player on the roster of the Japanese national team. Why should Korea naturalize as a big man like Hawkins
Jul 09, 2025
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The Japan Basketball Association (JBA) unveiled the list of 16 Japanese men's basketball teams to play in the second round of warm-up matches against South Korea, the 2025 men's basketball team, which will be held at Jeonggwanjang Arena in Anyang on the 11th and 13th.
It's the same as the last warm-up match against the Netherlands.
There are no main players of the national team, Yuta Watanabe (Chiba), Yudai Baba (Nagasaki), and Makoto Hiejima (Utsunomiya). Yuki Kawamura, who was released by Memphis but continues to challenge the NBA, is also missing.
However, they include main center and naturalized player Josh Hawkins, as well as Taichi Nakamura and Akira Jacobs.
Hawkins is on the lookout. He's a big man who can run. He has good vertical defense ability and controls the backboard with strong activity. be powerful as a screener.
He is a big man who can work perfectly with the Japanese guard's 2-2 attack. In addition, a 3-pointer from the outside is also possible.
Japan plays two-on-two attacks centered on the guard, and spacing basketball with shooters in the corners. Hawkins is at the heart of this tactic. He is the real ace of offense and defense. Hawkins is an essential card for maximizing the power of Japanese guards and shooters.
For Korea, naturalization of a big man like Hawkins is also essential.
There is also Taichi Nakamura, who played in Wonju DB. In a warm-up match against the Netherlands on the 6th, he scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers.
Japan's Sports Butterfly also reported that `It is worth paying attention to Taichi Nakamura, who scored 16 points, the most in the team, in a warm-up match against the Netherlands of the A team on the 6th.'
Jacobs Akira (Fordham University) should also pay attention. He is Japan's next-generation ace and a wingman with a tall 2m3 and accurate 3-pointer.
He has already played an active role as a member of the Paris Olympic team in 2024.
The performance of the Japanese national team has ups and downs. In the first game against the Netherlands, they lost due to a decrease in concentration in the fourth quarter. We lost 70 to 78. Josh Hawkins scored 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Jacobs Akira scored 15. Japan won the second game. In this game, Tai Chi scored 16 points, the most in the team.
◇ Japanese men's basketball team Korea warm-up series list
Taves Kai, Taichi Nakamura, Soto Yukawa, John Lawrence Harper Jr. (PG) Yudai Nishida (SG), Akira Kanechika Ren, Ibu Yamazaki, Ryo Sadohara, Hirota Yoshii (SF) Kawashima, Tominari Kano, Koya Kawamata, Josh Hawkins (Center)
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
