Kevin Durant, Nets hit with concerning injury update on key role player

The Brooklyn Nets and Kevin Durant are going to feel the loss of Yuta Watanabe after the forward went down with an injury.

Nets forward Yuta Watanabe will remain out for Wednesday's game against Washington with hamstring tightness, according to head coach Jacque Vaughn.

“He's still having some awareness in that hamstring,” Vaughn said Monday of Watanabe's injury.

The forward has missed Brooklyn's last four games with the injury. Vaughn said Watanabe underwent further imaging on the hamstring Monday with the team waiting on the results.

Watanabe has been one of the breakout stories of the season after signing with Brooklyn on a non-guaranteed contract this summer. The Japanese product is leading the league in three-point percentage (57.1) while proving to be one of Brooklyn's top perimeter defenders.

Watanabe carved out a valuable two-way role in recent weeks, averaging 11.6 points and 4.0 rebounds on 61.8 percent shooting during eight games in November. The 28-year-old propelled Brooklyn to victory with clutch performances in his last two appearances, scoring 9 points on 3-of-3 shooting from three in the fourth quarter against Portland and 12 points on 4-of-5 from deep in the final frame against Memphis.

Yuta Watanabe’s performance last night deserves a thread 🧵 So here we go:

No other way to start it.

Ice cold with the confidence on this clutch three. Watanabe is leading the NBA in 3-point percentage at 55.6. pic.twitter.com/mxSa2I2HjW

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 18, 2022

Watanabe's lingering injury is a significant development for a Nets team that is extremely short on perimeter defenders. Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry and Patty Mills all struggle to defend at the point of attack while Royce O'Neale and Joe Harris have failed to hold up against high-level scorers in recent games.

This has suddenly made Yuta Watanabe, who did not have a guaranteed roster spot heading into the season, a key piece of Brooklyn's path to success moving forward.

The Nets will soon receive reinforcements on the wing with T.J. Warren set to make his season debut Friday. The 6'8″ forward played just four games over the last two seasons while undergoing several surgeries to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. While he is not the same caliber defender as Watanabe, Warren offers added size and a potential scoring punch off the bench.

Brooklyn will look to reach .500 for the second time this season when they continue a seven-game homestand Monday against the Orlando Magic.