“I made a debut that I didn’t do last year, and I’m training hard to get a little bit of game time.”
Lee Kang-hyun (198cm, C) participated in the 2023 KBL Rookie Draft last year and wore a Changwon LG uniform as the 18th overall pick.
Lee played an average of 10 minutes and 17 seconds in nine D-League games, posting 5.3 points and 1.8 rebounds. He played in less than 10 minutes in five D-League games, or more than half of them. He failed to play in the regular league court as he did not play long in D-League as well.
After being selected by LG, Lee trained diligently with Yang Joon-seok and Yoo Ki-sang. He is also engaged in early morning training this off-season, preparing for the 2024-2025 season.
Lee Kang-hyun said, “After visiting Icheon (LG Champions Park), I am training again in Changwon. There are no foreign players coming in, so I am receiving opportunities like Park Jung-hyun during practice games. I think about the role of a big man that the coach calls,” adding, “And people around me help me a lot because it’s my first off-season training.” All four coaches told me a lot and taught me what roles many close brothers, such as Yang Joon-seok, Yoo Ki-sang, and Jeong In-deok, so I accept them one by one, and I am training for the first off-season by doing individual training in my spare time.”
When asked what kind of mindset he started training this offseason, Lee Kang-hyun said, “I came to the pro early to challenge last year, but I also felt that I was lacking. I don’t think I played because I couldn’t give trust to the coach and coach,” and added, “I changed my mind to show better performance than last year.” The coach said, “I made a debut that I couldn’t do last year because I’m getting better, and I’m training hard to get a little bit of game time.”
An LG official also cited Lee Kang-hyun as a player who can even train early in the morning.
Lee Kang-hyun said, “Last year, I came in right before the opening of the season and did it alone a lot. This time, the trainer will go to work early to help me and Jun-seok do weight and reinforcement exercises,” adding, “I worked hard last year, but this year, some people are helping me, and there are some people working out with me, so I feel that I am growing up, and I am grateful to my trainer.”
“When I come to the professional league, I have to fight better to see the weight because I’m competitive,” he said. “Jun-seok is a better player than me and he is a guard, so he tells me how to practice. I can practice mid-range shots following pick-and-roll together and do it with more energy,” he even told me about his early morning training.
LG predicts that Lee Kang-hyun still has a lot more to supplement. However, he highly values the attitude of trying to fulfill what the team wants in practice games. What does Lee Kang-hyun think he should supplement more in order to play more games on his own?
“You have to be much more diligent. You want transitions, etc. to run faster, and you want to hang the screen accurately, and then you fall out quickly and ask your teammates to help you out. It’s not difficult, but if you set your mind to it, you can do it. You’re diligent, you’re helping me in defense, and you’re trying to be active in transitions.” 메이저놀이터
LG selected Lee Kang-hyun because of the lack of big man resources. However, during this off-season, LG has completely changed, and the number of players around 2m has increased a lot due to the addition of Choi Jin-soo, Jang Min-guk, and Carl Tamayo.
Lee Kang-hyun said, “My stature has grown so big that there are many position players similar to me. I think it’s good to see and learn from the older brothers. If you show your own colors and appeal, you can see and learn. Each of the brothers has different colors, so there is a lot to see and learn,” adding, “It is beneficial for me to see and learn little by little by asking about post-ups under Park Jung-hyun’s basket, defense and team defense, and movement of Jang Min-guk’s outside.”
LG will hold off-season training in the Philippines from the 11th.
“As soon as I joined the team last year, I went to a training camp in the Philippines without knowing what to do,” Lee said. “I was surprised when I first went there. I didn’t play much and just watched it, but it was very rough,” Lee said. “If I get a chance to play, I will be tough and have a lot of physical fights to make myself confident so that I can be of help to the team.”
