6+3+2+2! Yuki Kawamura’s debut! Asia’s top point guard returns to the NBA

The ninth-seeded Bulls won against the eighth-seeded Heat away from home, 125-118.

Here are the Bulls’ stats:

Here are the Heat’s stats:

With Giddey and Kobe White both out, two-way player Yuki Kawamura got playing time and made the most of the opportunity,coming off the bench for 11 minutes, shooting 2-for-4 overall, including 2-for-3 from three, contributing 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 stealswithout committing a single turnover, though his plus-minus was a less flattering -4.

This game marked Yuki Kawamura’s first regular-season appearance this year, and all his stats came during regulation and crucial moments, making them highly valuable.

Notably, despite officially standing only 1.70 meters tall, Kawamura won the opening tip against the 1.96-meter-tall Jakucionis. After the game, Kawamura joked that it was the first time he ever won a jump ball since he started playing basketball.

After the game, Bulls head coach Donovan expressed great admiration for Kawamura, especially praising his active defense which helped compensate for his height disadvantage to some extent.

Last summer, after not receiving a contract renewal from the Grizzlies, Kawamura joined the Bulls for the Summer League, averaging 23.9 minutes, 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, earning a two-way contract. However, he parted ways due to a right calf blood clot diagnosis, but after recovery, he signed another two-way contract to return to Chicago.

With Kawamura back on the Bulls, it means that unless waived, he will not represent the Japanese national team in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers’ second window against China on February 26 this year. The last time Kawamura wore the Japanese jersey against China was in the 2024 Asian qualifiers, playing about 27 minutes, shooting 4-for-11 overall, 2-for-7 from three, and 2-for-2 from the line, scoring 12 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists, leading his team to a narrow 76-73 victory.

In summary, with two years of NBA experience, Yuki Kawamura truly deserves his title as Asia’s top point guard today, proving that an ordinary-sized player can compete at the world’s highest level—basketball is not just a game for giants.