Other clubs that have confirmed the power of KCC, which has put forward tall forwards of about 2m, including Choi Jun-yong, Song Kyo-chang and Lee Seung-hyun in this playoff, will seriously consider “reinforcing the height” during this FA period.

Similar types of players will be on the market. Kang Sang-jae and Kim Jong-kyu will become free agents in Wonju DB, the regular season championship team that lost to KCC in the semifinal PO.

Kang is a forward who is 2 meters tall and can run with the ball directly. He is evaluated as the best among players of similar height.

Kang Sang-jae, who played 33 minutes in 51 regular league games in the 2023-2024 season, announced that he has entered his prime with the highest average score (14.0 points) and rebound (6.3) since entering the professional league.

The 3-point success rate (41.5 percent) exceeded 40 percent, which is the baseline for A-level shooters. In this category, he ranked third after professional shooters Yoo Ki-sang (42.4 percent) and Lee Keun-hwi (41.6 percent).

Veteran big man Kim Jong-kyu, who was born in 1991 and has already played 11 seasons so far this season, also averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds, and proved his competitiveness with a 3-point success rate of 37.5%.

Kim Jong-kyu, who ranked fourth in rebounding, ranks first in field goal success rate (59.7 percent) among Korean players. He is also ranked third among foreign players.

Even the DB cannot easily give up accompanying them. For the “Triple Post,” which Kim introduced this season, to operate in the new season, resources equipped with both height and outer shot are essential.

But even for other teams, the two players are attractive resources.

Most of the teams that played in the lower ranks this season suffered from rebound and opponent power-forward defense problems.

In particular, eighth-ranked Goyang Sono (20-34) in the regular league had Chinanu Onuaku (12.4 rebounds on average), who showed overwhelming dominance under the goal, but the team’s overall rebound was last (31.5 rebounds).

In six face-to-face confrontations in the season with DB, which has an advantage of power-forward positions such as Kang Sang-jae, he suffered from defense, losing an average of 94 points.

At the end of the regular season, Sono coach Kim Seung-ki told reporters in advance that he would plan a new round for the next season early and would watch the opponent team’s game during the PO period.

Coach Kim has stressed several times that “forward with shots and height” is the top priority for recruitment.

Kang Sang-jae’s ransom, which is likely to increase due to competition, may be burdened. If so, there are some “real forwarders” who can negotiate at a lower price point.

Jung Hee-jae, who played for LG, is also a power forward who can defend foreign players but confidently throws outside shots.

He played 18 minutes on average in all of the regular season games this season, recording 5.4 points and 2.0 rebounds. The three-point success rate was 34.2 percent.

He is considered a suitable player for modern basketball, which maximizes the attack power of ball handlers, as he is good at bad things such as screens and has a tendency to shoot without hesitation when he has a three-point chance.

Choi Seung-wook is also in the early-mid 190cm range, but his elasticity and activity are good, contributing to the high-level fight in the DB.

Veteran SK forwarders such as Choi Boo-kyung (born 1989), and Heo Il-young (born 1985) will also be on the market. Jonghyun Lee, who successfully made a comeback at the Anyang Jugwan, will also become a free agent in a year.

Among the guards, the best ‘big fish’ is LG’s charge leader Lee Jae-do.

Lee Jae-do played the least amount of time (average of 25 minutes) in the regular league since joining LG this season, but his efficiency was the best. With an average of 11 points, Lee recorded a field goal success rate of 45.9 percent and a three-point success rate of 36.8 percent.

Park Ji-hoon, who along with Lee Jae-do, has become a key player in the team that needs guards to drool. Park posted an average of 12.1 points and 4.4 assists in 53 regular-league games.

As Park’s strength lies in driving the ball to the bottom of the goal, teams that want to speed up their offense cannot easily overlook. Another advantage is that he makes fewer errors (1.8 on average).

Guard Jung Sung-woo and Han Ho-bin, who played at Suwon KT and Sono as the main players, are also evaluated by the market this time. Jung Sung-woo’s best defense is considered to be one-on-one, and Han Ho-bin’s two-on-two attack as a big man.

BY: 스포츠토토