Yuki Kawamura had a very successful summer of 2024. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he averaged 20.3 points for Japan, attracting the attention of many NBA teams and now has a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2024/25 season.

This is a very special event, when Yuki Kawamura is the first Japanese player who grew up in the B-League (Japanese Professional League) to play in the NBA without going through the university level. With a height of 1m72, Yuki Kawamura will also be the shortest player in the league.

The question here is, can Yuki Kawamura survive in the NBA, an extremely harsh league with players with outstanding physiques?

The Sporting News will provide analysis and predictions based on Yuki Kawamura’s strengths and weaknesses in the article below.

Strengths and weaknesses in Yuki Kawamura’s playing style

Yuki Kawamura has impressive passing ability

In the 2024/25 NBA Preseason, Yuki Kawamura averaged 10 assists per 36 minutes of actual play. This is the 3rd highest achievement in the total Preseason in NBA history. This is also Kawamura’s strongest point, because he matured in the PG position leading the team’s play.

“Yuki Kawamura’s passes mostly don’t require looking at his teammates.” This is a somewhat joking comment from the Memphis Grizzlies. However, it also reflects the fact that Yuki Kawamura understands his teammates and offensive runs very well to be able to come up with such solutions during the match.

At only 1m72 tall, Kawamura didn’t try to get past defenders with better physiques, nor did he make any shots inside the 3-point range. Kawamura understood that he didn’t have the physical advantage or skill to do that.

Instead, Kawamura dictated the tempo of the attacks, directing his teammates to make runs and deliver passes. Kawamura’s good tactical vision served the Japanese player well.

Fans will want Kawamura to recreate his impressive scoring displays against Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the Memphis Grizzlies may only need Kawamura to play his role well as a playmaker to compete in the NBA.

Body size is a big problem for Yuki Kawamura when defending

In basketball, a small player is a critical weakness in the defense. Teams will want to exploit this weakness by using their size to gain an advantage in scoring.

Kawamura is only 1m72 tall and of course, he will have a big problem defending in a high-level arena like the NBA. However, the Japanese player often plays extremely hard to make up for his shortcomings. Kawamura is also very active in supporting his teammates in defense and is ready to rush in to fiercely fight for the ball, despite his physical disadvantages.

The video here is an example of Kawamura playing hard in a 50/50 situation. Kawamura’s effort helped the Memphis Grizzlies not lose the ball and had a chance to re-establish another attack.

In the arena of tall opponents in the NBA, Yuki Kawamura will certainly have a hard time shining. But if the Memphis Grizzlies can build a reasonable defensive lineup, Yuki Kawamura’s weakness can be covered up so he can perform better in offensive roles.

Yuki Kawamura needs to get used to the NBA 3-point line

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Yuki Kawamura had a 3-point shooting efficiency of up to 40.6% with nearly 11 shots per game. However, he could not repeat this performance in the NBA Preseason, when he only had an efficiency of 25% in the matches.

The biggest reason comes from the fact that the NBA 3-point line is 7.24 meters long, while the 3-point line in FIBA tournaments is only 6.75 meters. Yuki Kawamura needs to get used to longer shooting distances, as well as control the power of the shot in each finishing situation.

This is something Yuki Kawamura needs to improve on if he wants to have a place in the NBA.

What to expect from Yuki Kawamura in the 2024/25 NBA season?

By signing a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, Yuki Kawamura will alternate between the NBA and the G-League. This contract allows Kawamura to appear in up to 50 NBA games.

The Memphis Grizzlies currently have a lot of talented guards on their roster, including Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, and Scotty Pippen Jr. Therefore, Yuki Kawamura will have a hard time getting on the field. However, the Japanese guard is only 23 years old, and he has a lot of opportunities to improve his skills and convince the Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff in the 2024/25 season.