Japanese Steph Curry’ impresses in NBA debut for G League United

SANTA CRUZ – There never has been, and never will be, another Steph Curry. But the instant  entered Wednesday night’s G League Fall Invitational at Kaiser Permanente Arena, it was clear why the 6-foot-2 sharpshooter has been given the nickname of “The Japanese Steph Curry” and “Samurai Steph.”

Tominaga can let it fly, and his star qualities and showmanship are impossible to ignore.

After sitting the entire first quarter for the newly formed G League United in their 99-81 win against Serbia’s BC Mega MIS, Tominaga didn’t waste a second in showcasing his famed 3-point shot. One minute and a half into the second quarter, from his motor to his screen setting and finally his 3-point stroke, Tominaga did his best Curry impression on his first shot attempt of the night. Tominaga set a screen at the free throw line, came loose and found himself free from downtown.

Sound familiar? It looked familiar, too. Without hesitation, Tominaga drilled the catch-and-shoot 3 in motion.

“I just love shooting the basketball,” Tominaga said to NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday after the United’s final practice before their first game. “Also, it’s not just shooting the 3-pointer but how you get open, how you create space. Still learning the process, but that’s how I’m always getting better.”

Every word of that assessment is reminiscent of Curry. There’s a reason for that. Curry is Tominaga’s favorite player ever. He can’t recall his first memories of watching Curry play, but he can remember seeing him make shots from unthinkable distances a year or two before Golden State’s superstar led the Warriors to their first championship in 40 years.

And his penchant for the 3-point shot isn’t the only thing that made the native of Moriyama, Japan gravitate to Curry.

“I love his passion to play basketball,” Tominaga says.

Curry clearly is a fan of Tominaga, too. This past June, Tominaga signed a making him the first international athlete signed to the brand.

He was ecstatic. His new reality went beyond anything Tominaga could have dreamed of when watching Curry across the world.

“It means a lot to me,” Tominaga said. “Obviously he’s my favorite player. I’m so happy to be in the family with the Curry Brand team. When I heard Steph agreed with the commitment to sign with Steph’s brand I was super happy about it, super excited.”

Tominaga’s first three Wednesday night was just the start to an impressive showing for the instant fan-favorite. Throughout the second quarter, Tominaga scored a total of nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a circus up-and-up reverse layup where the lefty finished with his right hand, and he made two of his three 3-point attempts.

Cashing in from long distance always has been second nature for Tominaga from an early age. But his father, Hiroyuki, stands nine inches taller than him and played professionally in Japan for a decade as a center. It wasn’t the threes Tominaga splashed in Santa Cruz that he was happiest with, but his ability to drive to the basket, which also led to his jab step being a weapon beyond the arc.

“I worked on it a lot, especially my right-handed stuff,” Tominaga said after the win. “I worked on that a lot this summer, so it was good it paid off like that.”

What didn’t show up in the box score during that sizzling second quarter was Tominaga tossing an extremely accurate alley-oop attempt beyond halfcourt that wasn’t converted, and a dime from the middle of the paint to the corner for a 3-point attempt his teammate couldn’t convert.

In the fourth quarter, Tominaga was a crowd-pleaser when he stole an inbound pass and simultaneously was fouled, and later drained a three from the left corner with virtually no space before creating just enough room from that quick jab step.

The former Nebraska star in his professional debut scored behind the 3-point line, at the mid-range and around the basket. Tominaga was happy with his aggression offensively and showcased his ability as a catch-and-shoot threat, off the dribble and in traffic, finishing with 12 points off the bench in 17 and a half minutes, going 4 of 6 from the field and 3 of 5 on 3-pointers, making him a plus-10 overall.

“It was fun,” Tominaga said. “It was a good crowd, too. It was fun to play in front of a home crowd.”

Next up is another matchup with BC Mega MIS on Friday night in Santa Cruz, and then G League United will hop aboard a plane to Singapore to compete in the 2024 FIBA Intercontinental Cup. Buckets and loud cheers are sure to follow Tominaga wherever his road leads, just as his idol has done from little Davidson College to the Bay Area and on the worldwide stage for nearly two decades now.