As a two-time WJBL MVP and a Seattle Storm player, Ramu Tokashiki is undoubtedly the biggest star in Japanese women's basketball right now. But even for a superwoman like her, it's not easy to adjust while playing in two different leagues.
After the Storm were eliminated in the first round of the WNBA playoffs in late September (the Storm lost 94-85 to the Atlanta Dream in the single-elimination game), Tokashiki returned home and switched to JX-Eneos Sunflowers jersey, and without getting much rest. Bear in mind that she also played at this summer's Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where Japan successfully advanced to the quarterfinals. So she's been playing ball all year.
In the Sunflowers' season-opening game against the Fujitsu Red Wave in Tokyo last Friday, Tokashiki didn't look like her normal self. She seemed sluggish and kept missing shots, even when she was close to the rim. The 193-cm center/forward (she's more of a small forward with the Storm) was 5-for-13 from inside the arc for 11 points, while she had 11 rebounds and four turnovers.