Nobody realistically expected the Bambitious Nara to win 35 or 40 games in their inaugural season. After all, an expansion team must endure a lot of growing pains as a first-year franchise during a challenging 52-game schedule.
And so it was not a stunning development that coach Koto Toyama's squad dropped its first six games and stumbled out of the gates with a 1-9 record.
Growth takes time. Developing chemistry doesn't happen overnight.