Seoul Samsung Thunders Lee Jung-hyun (35‧190.3cm) is one of the best shooting guards of all time. He has the ability to break through, shoot, and pass evenly, and he can handle all 1 to 3 plays, and has consistently proved himself by going back and forth between his team and the national team. His cumulative record is also building solidly. It is evaluated that he has created his own page in the history of KBL with only the appearance he has shown so far.
As can be seen from the fact that he has maintained his reputation as an ace for a long time, Lee Jung-hyun is a player with many strengths. In particular, as the nickname ‘Geumgang Buddha’ suggests, his durability is recognized as the highest level ever. His debut in 2010 was frightening, so he immediately jumped in with all his might, and he is continuing his career without major injuries to this day. He has a large gap even in second place, and it seems difficult to even come close to it for the time being, in the case of the record of consecutive games that are currently being played.
In addition to durability, Lee Jung-hyun’s trademark is confidence. Lee Jung-hyun’s confidence has been famous since his rookie days. Even when he was nominated in the second place, there were many opinions that ‘it seems that he was selected in a rather high order’, but he showed his presence by flying around from the practice game. Even with his outstanding seniors, he threw and broke through with confidence. He had the courage to attack even when he failed several times, even when he was a rookie.
Such a tendency led to strengths in important battles and clutch situations. Even players who were active as aces in college feel burdened when they come to pros to make a shot at an important moment. It is because he has outstanding colleagues besides himself, and he cannot help but be conscious of the fear of failure. Lee Jung-hyun is different. He is a strong player with the ace mindset of ‘I will solve it’.
As a result, it is evaluated that he often scored decisive points or assists at important moments, and he was able to grow further as he accumulated experience. The big shot in the championship game that led KGC to victory in the 2016-17 season was possible because of that confidence. At that time, Lee Jung-hyun suffered from booing from fans of the opposing team, Samsung, due to an on-court collision with Lee Kwan-hee.
In addition to the pressure in a big game, it was not strange that if such a situation arises, he would be shaken mentally like a decent player. Lee Jung-hyun was cold. In the tying situation with 5.7 seconds remaining in Game 6, he directly suggests to coach Seung-gi Kim that he will attack one-on-one. Considering the pressure of the situation at the time, he said it was not an easy remark for even a decent veteran. Lee Jung-hyun was confident and eventually exploded the winning shot that ended the series.
Even after moving to KCC through FA, Lee Jung-hyun’s ace instinct did not diminish. He led the attack from the center of the team to such an extent that fans said, “I knew he was good, but was it this good?” In addition to that, through his unique leadership, even the image of Jira’s ‘Captain’, who was trusted by his colleagues, was solidified. He was an impeccable top player, minus the tarnished image due to the exaggerated action that came out once in a while during the game.
However, no matter how great a player is, he has no choice but to reveal his limitations in the face of the passing years. At some point, Lee Jung-hyun became a player whose weaknesses were highlighted as well as strengths. He was able to make a contribution because he had the ability to score as well as lead and pass, but the problem was the defense. He was not originally a player who had strengths in defense, but after becoming an old man, his feet slowed down and his activity decreased significantly, and his contribution dropped drastically. Increasingly, he lost his productivity on offense on defense.
Because of this, it is true that there were as many voices of concern as expected when going to Samsung through FA ahead of this season. Even during the KCC days, there were a lot of problems in defense as he was in the front line with Yoo Hyun-jun, but Samsung also expected that Kim Si-rae would suffer the same difficulties because he was the number 1 starter. Perhaps, for current Lee Jung-hyun, a guard with strengths in defense and activity may be a better partner than reading and passing.
Nonetheless, coach Eun Hee-seok gave his confidence, and Lee Jung-hyun also played a good role on and off the court. In Samsung, where the age group is younger, Lee Jung-hyun, a veteran, was a great role model to watch and learn from in many ways. It is said that his firepower is down compared to his prime, but just being together gave a lot of stability to young players. The defensive part that was a problem was the appearance of minimizing it by alternately attaching players who could offset the disadvantages.
I wanted to see if Samsung and Lee Jung-hyun’s not bad accompaniment continued, but reefs are being discovered in unexpected parts. In the case of the weak defense, it was expected to some extent, but the productivity of the attack fell sharply, and coach Eun’s concerns are growing. As mentioned earlier, Lee Jung-hyun is an all-around player with many options when it comes to offense.
As well as being a mid-range jumper for shooting and breaking through, when he is unable to do so, he gets free throws with various fake moves and contributes to the team mainly through leading and passing games. In any way, he is a player who does not become a minus when attacking. However, in recent years, he has averaged 12.79 points, 3.97 assists and 2.66 rebounds in 29 games, which is close to the career average, but his field goal success rate (33.64%) has dropped dramatically, which is pointed out as one of the reasons for Samsung’s decline.
Among the players who have scored more than 13 points in the current standard league, there is not a single player with a lower field goal success rate than Lee Jung-hyun. Ronjay Avarientos is the only player in the 30% range, but in reality it is close to 40% (39.86%). All others are between 50 and 40%. No matter how high Lee Jung-hyun’s invisible contribution is, in addition to his weakness, defense, and field goal success rate, the team will have to worry.
Lee Jung-hyun is the type of player who takes the ball for a long time and finds his condition. There are many cases where a lot of attacks are developed in his hands, and that is why the low field goal success rate is a problem. It’s not just low, it’s because it’s a low situation even though you throw a lot. If the field goal success rate drops to this extent, the efficiency of plays that make the opponent’s defense dizzy with various unique options will inevitably be lowered. 메이저사이트
Currently, Samsung is in a state where the ranking has fallen to the bottom without knowing the storm at the beginning of the season. Looking at it calmly, the solver mode, which reduces veteran Lee Jung-hyun’s business trip time and focuses on playing in the 4th quarter when everyone is tired, seems suitable, but considering the high salary and position in the team, it doesn’t seem easy. It is doubtful whether such a short and concise play will work well because he is the type to improve his performance by playing on the court for a long time.
In some ways, Lee Jung-hyun’s mental change and effort seem necessary. In modern basketball, activity and defense are essential, not variables. In order to cover with his offensive power, stable shooting power should be supported. Currently, Lee Jung-hyun is leaving regrets in all areas. Occasionally, it is only once or twice that the chance to blow up the power in the clutch situation is used as the old man’s tax.
It may be difficult for a starting pitcher type to be a setup man or closer, but unless it is a team aiming for a championship, now may be the right time to experiment and change. Other players also need to be proactive rather than relying too much on Lee. This is why we are curious about what Samsung will do in the future.