The Olympics are under way in Tokyo. Although the NBA season has just concluded, that doesn’t mean that basketball stops there. With the Tokyo Olympics finally pushing through after being postponed due to the pandemic, some NBA players we will be spending their offseason with their respective national teams. Because of this, we will be seeing some familiar faces in this prestigious event, even NBA role players.

With the NBA going more and more global every season, there’s no question that a lot more NBA faces will be suiting up for countries outside of Team USA. Because of this, different countries will be relying on their NBA talent to increase their hopes of winning a medal. And with NBA players playing against players outside of the league, you can bet that their play will be different compared to their NBA performances. In fact, some NBA bench players will be the spearhead of some of these national teams participating in the Tokyo Games. For this piece, let’s take a look at NBA role players that will play as stars for their national teams.

NBA Role Players Who Star For Their National Teams: Olympics Edition

NBA Role Players Who Play As Stars For Their National Teams, Olympics

Yuta Watanabe

After going undrafted in the NBA, Yuta Watanabe barely saw minutes in the league. In fact, he spent his first two seasons mostly in the bench for the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged only 2.3 points in only 8.5 minutes of action per game. However in the recently concluded season, Watanabe improved his numbers to 4.4 points per game and even dropped a career-high 21 points for the Toronto Raptors. Because of this, Watanabe has earned Nurse’s trust as part of the Raptors’ rotation off the bench.

Although Watanabe is a role player of the Raptors, he is a superstar in Japan. In fact, Watanabe’s jersey became the highest-selling jersey in his home country. Watanabe will be a crucial part of Japan’s Olympic campaign this year alongside Wizards forward Rui Hachimura, as he helps his nation snag its first victory since 1972. With Japan playing in their home soil, a lot of pressure will fall on Watanabe’s shoulders.

Although Japan struggles in the world stage, the Raptors forward has shown that he can be one of the go-to-guys that can keep in step with the best players in the world. In a massive upset against France, Watanabe scored 18 points in the friendly. And in his Olympic debut against Spain, he scored 19 points for the hosts.

Moritz Wagner

For the most part of his NBA stay, Moe Wagner has been a back-up center who played in limited minutes. He has had a journeyman’s career that saw him play for the Lakers, Wizards, Celtics, and Magic in just a span of three seasons. However, Wagner has been big for his home country as of late.

Wagner has been a focal part of Germany’s success in their Olympic campaign. Starting from the FIBA OQT, the Magic center dropped 28 points in 28 minutes to help Germany clinch the Olympic spot. He shot nine of his 12 attempts and made three shots from beyond the arc. In the process, Germany ended its 13-year absence from the summer games. Furthermore, Wagner was also named the TISSOT MVP Award of the tournament after averaging 14.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

In his Olympic debut, Wagner registered 12 points and four rebounds in the loss against Italy. With the Germans ending their Olympic drought, the team will be banking on Wagner alongside Wizards player Isaac Bonga to make mark in Tokyo.

Tomas Satoransky

Standing at 6’7, Tomas Satoransky has been a solid back-up point guard for the Bulls, acting as one of the more unknown NBA role players in the league. He has been one of the more consistent players this season and Satoransky has followed that up by making big moves in the international arena.

Satoransky has been big for Czech Republic. In the FIBA OQT, he headlined the squad in upsetting the NBA laden teams in Greece and Canada. The Bulls guard averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game in the FIBA OQT. Satoransky would also be responsible for the game-winning shot in overtime against Canada, who were led by Andrew Wiggins and RJ Barrett. With his dominant performance, the Czechs clinched their Olympic berth and Satoransky was named the TISSOT MVP of the tournament.

The Czechs also started the Olympics on the right foot, as they put away Iran 84-78. Satoransky showcased his versatility in the victory. He registered six points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in his first Olympic game.

Josh Okogie

Nigeria made a lot of noise before the Olympics started, after they upset Team USA in an exhibition game. A big part of Nigeria’s success was Josh Okogie’s leadership for his home country. Despite being underdogs against a stacked USA team, Nigeria pulled out a 90-87 victory. The African powerhouse team, who are reinforced with eight players with NBA experience, eventually followed that up with an upset over 2019 World Cup silver medalists Argentina. Okogie averaged 7.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in the well-balanced effort of the team’s major victories.

Okogie isn’t really one of the biggest scorers in the Timberwolves’ rotation, given that defense is his calling card. But although his numbers aren’t eye-popping, the Timberwolves guard is still considered to be one of the best players of Nigerian descent, according to NBA journalist Jon Krawczynski.

According to Krawczynski, he said “Josh Okogie who plays for the Timberwolves and the Nigerian team is a very good young player, really really good defensive player and a very impressive young man too, from a personality angle, very talented, I know that Josh Okogie is very proud of his Nigerian heritage and he enjoys playing with the Nigerian team, so he will be in my selection right now.”

His minutes for the Timberwolves are mainly for defensive purposes, making him the truest of NBA role players. However, Okogie’s role expands when he plays with the Nigerian national team. The Timberwolves guard is one of the team’s leading scorers. In his last stint during the 2019 FIBA World Cup, he averaged 12.6 points and 4.4 assists per game to finish at 17th place, which allowed them to secure a spot in Tokyo.

Okogie is one of the leading scorers for Nigeria’s Olympic campaign so far. He put up 11 points and three assists in the loss against Australia.

Patty Mills

Aside from Nigeria, another team that handed Team USA a loss was Australia. For the past few years, Australia has been determined to win a medal in the world stage. And there’s no question, the country will be banking on Patty Mills to materialize their desire for a podium finish.

Mills has been a mainstay for the Australian national team. The Spurs backup guard has led his home country to four FIBA Oceana championships since 2007. Mills also suited up for the Boomers in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. In fact, Mills was the leading scorer in the 2012 London Olympics, averaging 21.2 points per game.

This year, Mills will hope to add a gold medal to his trophy collection that already includes a NBA championship. For the past two events at the world stage, the Boomers have finished at fourth place in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2019 FIBA World Cup. But with Mills more motivated than ever, after being the flag-bearer for Australia in the opening ceremony, the Australians have plenty of hope to finish at the podium this year.

Mills led the charge in the Boomers’ strong showing against Team USA. He led the team by dropping 22 points in the 91-83 victory. Furthermore, the Boomers became one of the opening day winners in Tokyo as Australia dominated Nigeria, 84-67. Mills had another vintage game by posting 25 points and six assists, as he shot five of eight from rainbow country.