Next generation ace Lee Hyun-joong. Summer League contract. Why Portland is a land of opportunity for him
Jul 03, 2024
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Lee Hyun-joong (23, 2m2), the next-generation ace in men's basketball, signed a summer league contract. The NBA's Portland Trail Blazers are the target team.
According to Yonhap News on the 3rd, Lee Hyun-joong's father, Lee Yoon-hwan, head coach of Samil High School, said Lee Hyun-joong will wear a Portland uniform and play in the Summer League game.
Lee Hyun-joong is continuing his overseas challenge. Lee Hyun-joong, who signed a contract with the Illawarra Hawks in July last year, played an average of 17 minutes in 27 regular league games, scoring 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds.
He then signed a short-term contract with Osaka Evesa in the Japanese B-League and played as the team's main scorer and ace.
This part is meaningful.
Lee Hyun-joong entered NCAA Davidson University and honed his skills. He was noted as a 3&D type shooter for his strong shooting ability, and since then, he has constantly expanded his role.
In Illawarra, Australia, he focused on accurate three-pointers, defense, rebounds, and off-the-ball moves, while in Osaka, he upgraded his skills by playing the main ball handler as the team's main scorer.
His goal is to advance to the NBA. This entry into the Summer League is also part of that. He already played in the Summer League last year for the Philadelphia 76ers, but was not properly evaluated due to an unexpected injury.
Lee Hyun-joong, who moved to the U.S. last month, contacted the Dallas Mavericks and Portland through workouts, and eventually was selected by Portland.
The Portland team is also more helpful for Lee Hyun-joong to advance to the NBA. Dallas reached the championship game last season. The main lineup is full, with Luca Doncic and Kyrie Irving at the center. In addition, Golden State's franchise star and league top shooter Klay Thompson was hired as an FA in the offseason. In other words, there is no place for Lee Hyun-joong to play in Dallas.
Portland, on the other hand, is a land of opportunity.
Portland, which had the bottom of the Western Conference (21 wins and 61 losses) last year, has shooting guard Annfurney Simons and small forward Jerami Grant, and highly anticipated super prospect Scoot Henderson along with Victor Wembanyama. Big man DeAndre Ayton belongs here. However, there are many newcomers, and the balance of offense and defense is not good. Organizational power is not good, and there are not many solid 3&D resources.
sfryu@sportschosun.com
