Jeonju KCC Egis are showing extreme roller coaster moves this season. Song Kyo-chang, the star of the show, was expected to rebuild with his next season in mind in a situation where there was a vacancy due to his military service, but he surprised the surroundings with his big move. In addition to recruiting Lee Seung-hyun (30‧197cm), who was considered the biggest player in the free agent market during the off-season, Heo Woong (29‧185cm), the most popular star in the league, was also brought in.
It was a big change enough to make up for Song Kyo-chang and Yoo Hyun-joon’s enlistment in the military and Lee Jung-hyun’s trip to Samsung. Excluding Chang-Young Jung, it can be said that the main players in the existing team have completely changed. Nevertheless, the imbalance by position, such as too many quantitatively and poor quality guards and empty swingman lines, was pointed out as a problem, but it became an ambiguous situation to call for a rebuild.
Perhaps, if it went smoothly in recruiting foreign players, it might be recording a different record than now. If you had succeeded in signing the contract with Grant Jarrett (29‧208cm), who was known as the player you were greedy for as the number one recruit, or if you hadn’t been fooled twice by Tyler Davis (25‧208cm), who caused great damage to the team last season, you could build a more stable power. Because they would have prepared early for the season.
A team like KCC, whose advanced guards are short and have poor defense, needs a big man with a strong presence behind the goal to cover them. It’s also why he reached out to Davis again, even though his feelings may not be as good. If a Davis-class foreign center is recruited, there is an advantage in that Laguna can be used as a second option along with stabilization under the goal. On top of that, with national power forward Lee Seung-hyun in the long-cherished 4th position, he would not have been pushed back by any other team in terms of height.
In the case of Lee Seung-hyun, it was possible to some extent to expect that KCC would be very active. It was a team that was thirsty for a top 4 that would work with a foreign big man for a considerable amount of time, so everyone wanted a player who could fill that part. Not to mention, Lee Seung-hyun, who is one of the best players in Korea and not just a starting player, needed to be brought in even after taking a considerable risk.
So far, there are some regrets compared to the value of the name due to injuries and poor physical condition, but like the fans’ opinion, ‘There is no need to worry about Lee Seung-hyun’, the more matches are played, the more his performance improves. It is clear that Song Gyo-chang will be even more powerful next season when he returns, as he is doing his part even in the absence of any other players behind the goal and no good backup.
If the recruitment of Lee Seung-hyun was somewhat predictable, bringing in Heo Woong was a move that even KCC fans could not easily expect. If Heo Woong-geub came, it would be true that he would help the team unconditionally, but it was because he was in the least urgent position based on the situation at the time. Due to Yoo Hyeon-jun and Song Gyo-chang’s enlistment in the military, numbers 1 and 3 were empty, and number 4 was in Muju-gongsan for a long time.
Of course, it is true that the second time Lee Jung-hyun left, there was a gap. It is said that there is Chang-young Jeong (34‧193cm), but from the KCC point of view, it is more helpful for him to play an active role in all weathers, going back and forth between 2 and 3 times. However, in the case of a shooting guard, there have been many cases in which a guard with regrets in the reading, rather than the second professional, has been in charge since some time. The player who was playing number 1 may come down, or the player number 3 may go up.
It is relatively easy to fill a vacancy in a situation where the distinction between positions is not as clear as before. Even just looking at KCC right now, candidates such as Kim Ji-wan, Yoo Byung-hun, Kim Dong-hyun, Jeong Chang-young, Park Gyeong-sang, Jeon Jun-beom, and Lee Geun-hwi are overflowing. Of course, if he is not at least as tall as Kim Ji-wan, he will not be able to lead, so he is likely to become a minus when considering the defensive part.
Swingmen like Jeon Jun-beom and Lee Geun-hwi have difficulties in that it is difficult to expect even a minimum of auxiliary reading. In order for such a type to play as number 2, the point guard must be excellent, but KCC was not that. Therefore, among some fans, “It is true that Heo Woong has excellent marketability and has grown to compete with the best in Korea, but for KCC, it may be better to save the money and use it to strengthen other positions or invest in the Philippine guard in terms of balance.” opinions were constantly raised. It is also regrettable that he lost Yoo Hyeon-joon, an authentic point guard with whom he can look forward to the future, during the recruiting process.
However, looking at the situation so far, the recruitment of Heo Woong seems successful. Currently, there are only a large number of KCC guards, but only a few players who are actually helpful to the team. With the number 3 position virtually vacant, the 메이저놀이터 team needs a solid player to keep it centered. It’s even more so when you think of Song Gyo-chang, who will return next season. The 2nd to 4th lineup leading to Heo Woong-Song Gyo-chang-Lee Seung-hyun is not envious of individual skills or balance. Problem number 1 is still a knot to be solved, but with that member, it is worth trying even as a decent point guard.
Moreover, Heo Woong is a player who continues to grow. In the meantime, the image of a concise striker based on movement without the ball was strong, but at some point, he is showing great progress in ball handling and passing games. He has become an all-weather shooter who has the inner perimeter as well as a player capable of compliant auxiliary reading, and he seems to be doing more than enough for one person in defense, which was pointed out as a weakness.
As can be seen from his average performance of 15.84 points, 5.11 assists, 2.42 rebounds and 1.05 steals this season, he has become a player that is difficult to simply classify as an offensive player. As his father did during his active career, he has become an all-around player who can be the main gun in the team and helper to save and lead his teammates. As evidenced by this, during the recent three-game winning streak, the team’s key player was definitely Heo Woong.
Above all, the factor that can praise Heoung is his exemplary and sincere behavior. In recent leagues, the number of players with strong egos and eccentricities that are difficult to wrap with the word individuality has increased dramatically. A player who is united with incomprehensible pride, a player who seems sincere but is too stubborn about a specific position or play and is too difficult to use, a player who is obviously the best technician in Korea, but is like a time bomb who does not know when and where things will explode. are also diverse.
No matter how good your skills are, if you become a mudfish and cause muddy water, the team will go through various difficult situations. Heo Woong is different. Although he boasts a high popularity enough to drive a large number of regular fans, he has a model student style with self-management so that no noise can be heard.
Now, he has only played 19 games for KCC, but he seems to be melting well naturally as if he was originally in the team. That is why we are looking forward to the next season as well as this season. Heo Woong, Song Gyo-chang, and Lee Seung-hyun all have outstanding skills, but they don’t mind doing dirty work and are dedicated to the team, so the synergy that comes out of them is worth looking forward to. Anyway, KCC’s recruitment of Heo Woong was a good choice.