Golden State Warriors embark on NBA title defense with win over Washington Wizards in Japan
Behind the young legs of former No. 2 draft pick James Wiseman, Steve Kerr's champions cruise past the Wizards, who were led by Japan's best and brightest Rui Hachimura's 13 points, nine rebounds before his home fans.
Basketball
Rui Hachimura is home. Or he's supposed to be anyway.
"Home? It felt like there were more Warriors fans out there", Hachimura said on Friday (30 September), after his Washington Wizards lost 96-87 to the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors as the NBA preseason got under way.
"Nah jokes aside I’m really glad to have finally played in front of the Japanese fans. To be back in Japan and help stage an NBA game gives me great joy and a sense of relief.
"It was an important, special moment for me".
Hachimura led the Wizards with 13 points and nine rebounds before an excited crowd of more than 20,000 fans at Saitama Super Arena who were unable to watch top-flight basketball last summer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Celebrity row featured the likes of Suga from BTS, four-time tennis Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Tokyo 2020 skateboarding gold medallist Horigome Yuto.
But on the court, the night belonged to Warriors centre James Wiseman, the former No. 2 draft pick who had a game-high 20 points to go with nine boards.
Wiseman has missed a bulk of the last two seasons due to a torn right meniscus and is enjoying his first preseason in the league, after not being able to have one two summers ago due to the pandemic.
The 21-year-old stressed it was only one preseason game but for someone with immense upside who was unable to take the court for reasons largely beyond his control, it had to feel good to dominate the way he did at both ends of the floor.
"It felt good just to be out there with my teammates, be out there playing. It’s been like one-and-a-half, two years so just being out there feels good", Wiseman said.
"It’s also my first game ever before a crowd. When I was playing before we didn’t have no crowd. So it was a great experience.
"I just went out there and played my game, be myself. I wasn’t trying to do anything outside my boundaries".
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr - who has been patient in waiting to see the best version of Wiseman come to fruition - lauded his young big man.
"James has really had a few good days of practice", Kerr said. "Just his understanding of spacing and defensive communication, being in the right place.
"He’s been putting the work in and last year despite the injury, he was studying, watching tape and learning from our older guys. I couldn’t be happier for James".
Before the game, Kerr said Rio 2016 Olympian Klay Thompson will not play in either of the two games in Japan.
Kerr said he wants to play it safe given Thompson's two-year absence prior to last season with so little practice time before this weekend.