Tied for second place without Oh Se-geun, Omari Spellman, Moon Sung-gon, and Byun Joon-hyung, it’s a result that’s hard to explain.
Anyang Jungkwanjang won 99-94 in the first round of the 2023-24 Jungkwanjang Professional Basketball League against Wonju DB at Wonju General Gymnasium on March 10.
The win ended DB’s hopes of challenging their opening eight-game winning streak. It looked like a record that had been rewritten only twice since the inception of the KBL, but “Six Burgees” and his warriors weren’t going to stand idly by.
Jung Kwan-jang is on a roll. Their recent three-game winning streak has lifted them to 5-2 and second place in the standings, and their journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, as they’ve captured not only the DB but also the Busan KCC banner along the way.
Before the start of the 2023-24 season, no one expected this kind of rise from Chung Kwan-jang. Yang Hee-jong’s retirement, Byun Joon-hyung’s military enlistment, and the departures of Oh Se-geun and Moon Sung-gon to Seoul SK and Suwon KT, respectively. The main foreign player, Omari Spellman, has yet to play a game due to injury.
The sudden change in personnel and unexpected free agency results caught coach Kim Sang-sik off guard. He had to swallow his disappointment and worry over a glass of bitter soju before he could fully enjoy the joy of winning the title.
A whopping four of the best five players who led the team to the 2022-23 title and EASL Champions Week were gone. Furthermore, Jung chose to rotate the remaining spot, meaning that the 2023-24 best five will be a new team with no returning starters.
However, Jung’s performance didn’t suffer much. He has the right players in the right roles, and they’re consistent for the full 40 minutes. They have the right players in the right roles, and they’re playing consistently for 40 minutes.
There are several reasons for Jung Kwan-jang’s cruise. The first is that Kim’s motion offense is well established. Currently, the team doesn’t have a clear-cut ace who can dominate games. They have players like Park Ji-hoon and Daryl Monroe who can step up at times, but it’s hard to compare them to other teams.
Another way to look at it is that the lack of a clear ace allows the motion offense to be more powerful. Instead, there are many players who are selfless and good at creating chances and finishing. Add to that a coach who focuses on and utilizes their strengths rather than their weaknesses, and the result is a consistent performance every game. 보스토토 도메인
The second is the synergy with foreign players. After Spellman’s injury, Chung brought in Duvon Maxwell, who accompanied him to the William Jones Cup. It was a quick move, and it paid off.
Monroe and Maxwell are similarly stylized foreign players. They may not be as prolific or dominant as other players, but they know how to utilize their teammates. They also have the judgment to take matters into their own hands when they need to. Jung doesn’t rely on one player, and there are no better foreign players for Kim’s style of basketball.
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