After Yuta Watanabe and Rui Hachimura, 2023 NBA Draft prospect Keisei Tominaga is all set to make his shot at becoming the next Japanese player in the NBA.
Nicknamed the “Japanese Stephen Curry” for his 3-point shooting, Tominaga was one of the players worked out recently by the Indiana Pacers ahead of the Draft and the upcoming season.
Speaking to the Pacers’ media channel, Tominaga expressed his desire to be the next Japanese player in the league and hoped that he could live up to his predecessors. “I watched them play, I hope I can be the star players that they are.” He also added that he modeled his game after Curry.
"My dream is to be an NBA player, so it was amazing to be here on the court."@HuskerHoops guard Keisei Tominaga talked about his first pre-draft workout and what it would mean to be the next Japanese player to make it to the NBA.@NerdWallet | #GoldOnTheClock pic.twitter.com/Xzqph61HCO
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 31, 2023
For those unaware, Tominaga was one of the six prospects the Pacers were slated to work out. The 6′ 2″ guard averaged 13.1 points a game last season, but it was clutch play that saw him garner attention. His last 15 games saw him reach double figures in 14 of them.
Per The Japan Times. “The 22-year-old Aichi Prefecture native has already made his 5×5 senior national team debut and may play for Japan again during this summer’s FIBA World Cup, at which Paris Olympic berths are on the line.”
The Indiana Pacers Will Look To Have A Better 2022-23 Season
The Indiana Pacers were one of the teams who promised potential ahead of the new season but failed to make the playoffs after finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 35-47 record marking their second year in a row that they failed to make the postseason.
But they do have some reinforcements coming in. Earlier, Larry Bird was spotted in the Pacers building, and reports suggested that he was back working with them again, this time as a consultant. The franchise confirmed as much.
Larry Bird is back in the building serving as a consultant. pic.twitter.com/kp4z974X0S
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 30, 2023
In Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Myles Turner, the Pacers have the necessary firepower. If they could find some promise from the prospects they worked out and see how Bird can bolster their chances, it might look to be an interesting season ahead.
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