Can Kim Kyung-won, who showed meaningful growth last season, do it again?
On June 3, the Anyang Jungkwanjang Red Boosters convened their off-season training.
They are looking to rebound in the new season. The Red Boosters completed the “treble” in the 2022-2023 season, winning the integration title and the EASL title, but failed to qualify for the playoffs last season. The club is looking to bounce back in the new season.
The biggest improvement for the club last season was undoubtedly Kim Kyung-won. After appearing in just 35 games in his first three seasons, Kim became a key backup big man, 토토 starting 39 games last season. His minutes also increased significantly to 13:25.
At 198.1 centimeters, he’s not the tallest big man in the world. However, his wingspan is a whopping 215 centimeters. That”s a ‘Tal Asian”-length arm. Coupled with a decent shooting touch, Kim is still a stretch big man with a promising future.
“Hyo-geun (Jung) comes out with my brother an hour before team training in the morning to work on shooting. Hyo-kun helps me a lot. They catch a lot of shots together and talk a lot of good things. He also talks to me about my movements when I receive the ball,” she said.
One of Kim’s goals for the offseason is to stop being intimidated on the court. He wants to play with more fight and confidence.
“There are times during the match when I’m not confident and I’m cowering. My coach tells me a lot to be confident. I want to fix my hesitation, so I’m practicing a lot,” she explained.
Kim Kyung-won’s improvement last season was so remarkable that she was even talked about as a candidate for the Player of the Year award at the beginning of the season. However, she had to struggle with a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament that sidelined her in the middle of the season.
“I got injured when my performance was improving. I was out for a long period of time, which was unfortunate, but my brothers took good care of me and the club provided me with good treatment and rehabilitation, so I got better quickly. I was originally ruled out for the season, but thanks to my trainer brothers, I was able to come back well,” he said.
“My goal is to stay injury-free for the season. In fact, except for my rookie season and my military season, I was injured. So not getting injured is the most important thing. In any case, I’m determined to show the fans that I’ve grown more than last season.”