Jeong Kwan Jang Moon Yoo-hyun is attempting a shot during the home game against Busan KCC held at Anyang Cheong Kwan Jang Arena on the 4th. Photo = KBL
Anyang Jeong Kwan-Jang, a professional basketball player, is tightening the reins in his pursuit of the leader in the fourth round based on his abundant guard resources.
CheongKwanJang, second in the league, has 19 wins and 10 losses as of the 5th, trailing leader Changwon LG by 1.5 games, and trailing third place Wonju DB by half a game.
In a fierce competition for the lead, Cheong Kwan-Jang succeeded in catching up with Busan KCC, who had once threatened to take second place, by losing 4 times in a row, but in the meantime, DB surged up with 5 consecutive wins, putting second place Suseong in danger.
In this situation, Jeong Kwan-Jang aims to turn the atmosphere around in the 4th round by using the full guard strength that returned from injury.
Captain Park Ji-hoon, who was excluded from the team for more than three weeks due to an injury in the first round, was not in 100% condition even after returning, but made a comeback, scoring an average of 16.1 points in the third round, and became the main scorer.
‘Ace’ Byun Jun-hyung, who missed about two weeks last month due to back pain, is also playing his role by averaging 10 points in two games in the fourth round, and ‘young blood’ Park Jeong-woong is also being used as another guard resource, playing an average of 19 minutes and 2 seconds (average score of 4.7) in 29 games this season.
In particular, the performance of Moon Yoo-hyun, who joined CheongKwanJang as the first overall pick in the 2025 rookie draft, is expected to perform well.
After posting 12 points and 7 assists in the D-League on November 29 last year, Moon Yoo-hyun also played well in practice games with the national team, raising expectations for the regular league early on. However, his debut was postponed due to thigh muscle pain, and he made his first appearance with the first team on the 1st.
Of the three games he played in, he recorded 8 points, 6 assists, 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in the wins against Seoul SK and KCC, respectively, showing the best overall performance.
With many of the starting guards returning from injuries and being evaluated as a top force in the league, attention is being paid to whether they can gain an upper hand in the competition for the lead in the fourth round through proper use of these players.
Cheong Kwan Jang will play a home game against last place Ulsan Hyundai Mobis at Anyang Cheong Kwan Jang Arena on the 9th and an away game against DB at DB Promi Arena in Wonju, Gangwon Province on the 11th.
However, while Cheong Kwan Jang ranked 4th with an average field goal success rate of 44.5% in the 1st and 2nd rounds, it fell to 8th place (41%) in the 3rd and 4th rounds, and is faced with the task of improving the quality of its attacks.
Suwon KT (15 wins, 14 losses), ranked 6th in the league, has widened the gap with 7th place by 4.5 games thanks to a 4-game winning streak, and is aiming to continue its momentum and bounce back to the upper-middle rankings.
KT will face DB on the 8th and 4th place SK on the 10th, then clash with Hyundai Mobis on the 11th.
While foreign players Derek Williams and Isaiah Hicks’ simultaneous rise and rookie Kang Seong-wook’s performance are attracting attention, attention is being paid to whether KT can achieve victory this week and lay the foundation for a leap forward to the top rankings.
Goyang Sono will play an away game against Daegu Korea Gas Corporation on this day and then face LG on the 10th.
Reporter Lee Geon-woo
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