TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors have signed forward Yuta Watanabe to a standard NBA contract.
The six-foot-nine, 205-pound native of Yokohama, Japan is averaging four points, 3.3 rebounds and 13.4 minutes in 39 games (one start) as a two-way player with the Raptors this season.
He is shooting .448 (56-125) from the field, including .400 (24-40) from three-point range, and has scored in double figures six times, including the Raptors' last three games.
Watanabe recorded a career-high 21 points in Toronto's 113-102 win over Orlando on Friday.
Watanabe spent the previous two seasons as a two-way player with Memphis.
He played collegiately at George Washington (2014-18), where he was named Atlantic 10 defensive player of the year as a senior.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2021.
