There is a man who was once a big man prospect and is now more familiar with Afreeca TV BJ.
On the 1st, Goyang Carrot sent Lee Jong-hyun to Jeonju KCC and traded 1-2 for Park Jae-hyun and Kim Jin-yong. Excluding Park Jae-hyun, who is leaving for Japan, it was actually a one-to-one trade between Lee Jong-hyun and Kim Jin-yong.
By today’s standards, it wasn’t a win-win trade. Even for Lee Jong-hyun, who lost all of his prime skills, it was an unconditionally positive trade for KCC, where Lee Seung-hyun left due to an injury. On the other hand, Carrot was already full of question marks about whether he was a plus because he already had a big man with poor BQ and good athletic ability like Kim Jin-yong.
Kim Jin-yong is a promising big man who took the elite course between Whimungo and Yonsei University. He is 199 cm tall and boasts strong muscles. He is athletic and has a mid-range jumper above all else. A two-man game with Heo Hoon at Yonsei University, followed by a pick-and-pop and a jumper were clear scoring routes. 메이저놀이터
But after his pro debut, he seldom saw the light of day. He was traded to KCC after being named by Ulsan Mobis with the 8th overall pick in the 2017 KBL Rookie Draft. Since then, his career has been shabby. He only made 8 appearances in 4 seasons. In the 2022-23 season, he didn’t even get a chance. He played in six D-League games and averaged 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game, but had no first-team call-up opportunities.
Even after Lee Seung-hyun’s injury, Kim Jin-yong could not rise to the first team. Kim Sang-kyu, who was in the past, and Seo Jung-hyun in the D-League were called up and took their place. KCC coach Jeon Chang-jin said, “Seo Jeong-hyun is the best among the big men in the D-League team.” Kim Jin-yong seemed to be forgotten.
This is Kim Jin-yong, who recently worked as an Afreeca TV BJ during the off-season. Through various contents such as his game and exercise, he gained many fans outside of basketball. Of course, I don’t know if it was an activity that helped my basketball career.
For Kim Jin-yong, coach Kim Seung-gi Carrot is also his last chance. Coach Kim used the players who had not seen the light of day during the Anyang KGC days in the right place and maximized their value. Bae Byeong-jun and Park Hyeong-cheol are representative examples. In the case of Bae Byung-jun, he has risen to become a cost-effective shooter that fills the void left by Jeon Seong-hyeon as much as possible.
Carrot is in a situation where the 4th position is empty as Lee Seung-hyun and Lee Jong-hyun both leave. Choi Hyun-min is holding up well, but he is far behind in competition with teams with strong bases. It is a carrot that does not work with Park Jin-cheol and Jo Jae-woo cards. In this situation, Kim Jin-yong got a chance to play more time than at KCC. It’s time to show off the skills you’ve honed in the D-League. It’s also time for him to prove why he’s on the court.
But it is also the last chance. If Kim and Carrot ignore him, it is difficult to predict his future career. For Kim Jin-yong, now is the time when he needs a ‘jin of drainage’.
Kim Jin-yong, who has been a ‘gemstone’ for a long time, can show everyone that he was a ‘jewel’. He can play starting with the match against KGC in Goyang on the 2nd.