IF you cannot beat them, get them to join you.

Guard Makoto Hiejima was one of the stars for the Japanese national team which upset the Andrej Lemanis-coached Australian Boomers in a FIBA World Cup qualifying match last month.
Now Hiejima is linking with Lemanis at the Brisbane Bullets.

The starting shooting guard for the Japanese team and the reigning MVP of Japan’s national league, Hiejima made contact with Lemanis through ex-Townsville coach Shawn Dennis, who is now coaching in Japan.

The 27-year-old, 191cm-tall Hiejima will join Brisbane under the NBL’s Asian Player rule and will count as a local player.

He played for the Afshin Sea Horses in the B League and has been on the Japanese national team since 2013.

He is averaging 16 points, four rebounds and four assists per game in the World Cup qualifying games.

Lemanis likes how Hiejima is prepared to get out of his comfort zone to elevate his game.

“What he is doing is courageous — moving over 6000km to Australia, the change of culture, testing yourself in a new environment with the added challenge of the language barrier — I have a lot of respect for what he is doing and why he is doing it,’’ he said.

“With the Boomers, Makoto was a player that we really focused on in our team scout and knew we had to guard.

“I’m excited about what he will bring to the Bullets. He gives us great depth in the guard positions, the opportunity to run different line ups and keep pressure on the whole game.

“With the condensed nature of our season and the potential disruption from injuries, having that depth is important.”

The Bullets have one spot left on the roster for the 2018-19 NBL season which will be filled by an import small forward.

Lemanis and Bullets assistant coach CJ Bruton attended the NBA Summer League to scout potential recruits but said the club will take its time.

“We are comfortable to take our time to get the right player,” Lemanis said.

“If we need to wait to bring the right player in then we are OK with that — it is a key decision in the final make up of our roster, so we will make sure we look at all our options.”