What is Kim Hyo-beom thinking about Samsung’s key players.
The Seoul Samsung Thunder won 99-74 in a practice match against Sangmu at Kyung Hee University’s International Campus Practice Gymnasium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on the 13th.
Samsung won its first practice game by breaking down its defense in Sangmu with its offensive power. It was also the first practice game played by head coach Kim Hyo-beom since he took office as an official coach.
Samsung has made a lot of roster changes this season. At the end of last season, Samsung succeeded in rebounding from its performance led by then-acting coach Kim Hyo-beom and reinforced its capabilities, raising expectations for its performance.
Among them, guard Lee Dae-sung joined the team. Lee Dae-sung’s offense power, which averaged 18.1 points during the 2022-2023 season, was also noticeable in practice games. He scored many points using the big man’s screen, and as the main ball handler, he led the overall team’s offense.
For Samsung, the biggest challenge for the team is to maximize the synergy effect between Lee Dae-sung and Lee Jung-hyun. It is hard to deny the fact that both players are excellent handlers, but since the two players have only one ball on the court, it is important to incorporate their capabilities into the team as much as possible. Coach Kim Hyo-beom is also thinking a lot about the harmony between the two players, and he actively utilized patterns at the match on the day.
Asked before the match how to utilize Lee Dae-sung, Kim said, “He is the main gun of our team. He is the point guard, the main ball handler, and he will also take charge of managing the game in situations where he assembles the ball. Since there is another 2 to 2 master in our team (Lee Jung-hyun), we plan to simplify the pattern so that we can coexist and achieve good harmony. He is following us well.”
“It’s a little different from the days of gas construction. What I want more from Lee Dae-sung is that he keeps talking about, for example, how he can shoot a shot, but can derive it from the composition he holds when the opponent comes in to block it. When it comes to aggression, I will implement the free patterns when I feel it is necessary to do so, and I will instruct the patterns in the right place. He also said he feels less pressure.”
The combination of Lee Dae-sung and Lee Jung-hyun already had regrets when they were at KCC. Unlike before, when the combination was suddenly formed due to trade during the season, however, this time, the two players spend the off-season together, giving them more opportunities to work together. Coach Kim expressed high expectations, praising the mindset of the oldest player in the team.
“Jeong-hyun and Daesung should play together a lot. Both of them will be appointed as main players, and we are checking the combination. When they first met, Daesung came in mid-season as a trade, which was different from now, and he had never experienced an off-season. That must have been difficult for the coach. In a situation where the relationship was not established, he had to rely on players’ skills. However, he is now doing many things outside of basketball during the off-season, building ties and resolving basketball issues. They sit face to face at the STC and talk a lot while having dinner, and talk a lot about certain movements in basketball,” Kim said.
In addition, he said, “(Lee) Jung-hyun) clearly has a different mindset and has done a great job in building his body. I know from a player’s point of view that Bronco used to be in the past. It is true that if a team is in a slump for a long time, it will be difficult for a player to stand as a player. However, I feel that so many good players have joined the team at this time and that he is trying to build his body accordingly is a good example as one of the team leaders.” 스포츠토토
If the harmony of Lee Jung-hyun and Lee Dae-sung is important in the backcourt, the synergy effect of Lee Won-seok and Coburn should be further enhanced in the inside. There are Cha Min-seok and Yoon Sung-won as the domestic big man resources that can play with Coburn, but ultimately, if Coburn and Lee Won-seok show good performance when they play together, it will be of great help to Samsung’s rebound.
During the off-season, Lee created an opportunity to make a turning point by moving on to the national team. Kim also stressed the change in Lee’s mindset.
Coach Kim Hyo-beom said, “My mindset has definitely changed. I think I have set the goal I want to do. I voluntarily come out on weekends and am training with coach Choi Soo-hyun. When I saw him like that, I saw him use it a lot for his development because he gave me freedom. (J) Min-seok is the same.”
In order to combine him with Coburn, he needs to take more spacings in the end. In response, Lee was seen boldly throwing shots regardless of areas in the practice game. Not only that, but he also faced off tough opponent Big Man inside. The biggest attraction of the game was the under-the-basket battle with Park Jin-cheol. If he is proactive, he has a chance to burst all his potential.
“There are times when (Lee) does space and times when he picks and pops. When Kofi Coburn post-ups, making the cut-in is powerful, but he is also practicing a lot of three-point shots at corners. If he provides such outside support, it will be effective,” Kim said.
