‘I’m doing well, but the opponent who always walks one step ahead’. In the professional world, the existence of peers who are superior to oneself has various influences on the growth of a player. There are cases where people give up feeling like a wall that is difficult to overcome and the uptrend is cut off due to frustration, while there are cases where they grit their teeth and develop in order to jump over to the end.
Seo Myung-jin (23‧189.7cm), who is called the future of Hyundai Mobis in Ulsan, is also standing at such a crossroads. Lee Jung-hyeon (23‧187cm), a 2nd-year professional dual guard of Goyang Carrot, who is currently competing in the semifinal playoffs, was born in 1999 like him. Lee Jung-hyun, who was evaluated as the best player at Dongnai University since his childhood days, chose to go to college and jumped into the professional stage after graduating from Yonsei University.
On the other hand, Seo Myung-jin decided to go pro early after line-up at Sangju Central High School. He was recognized for his high potential even as a high school graduate, and in the 2018 draft, he wore a Hyundai Mobis uniform with a high ranking of 3rd in the 1st round. In a way, it is an analysis that Seo Myung-jin’s early choice had many positive aspects in his development.
Yun Soon-yong (43, Gyeonggi-do), a basketball blogger who is probably famous as a basketball expert, said, “In the case of Lee Jeong-hyun, whether he chose college or early, the part of being the best guard in his age would not have changed. On the other hand, it is difficult to say whether Seo Myung-jin could have been able to play steadily while being guaranteed business trips since his junior year, considering the outstanding seniors of each university at the time. He said, “It is a big part that he systematically grew well at Hyundai Mobis, which needed a successor to Yang Dong-geun.”
Because of this, by the time Lee Jung-hyun entered the professional league, Seo Myung-jin had more experience than his peers, and there were not a few expectations that a different aspect from the Amar days could unfold. But Lee Jung-hyun was Lee Jung-hyun. Seo Myung-jin was growing well enough and was ahead of many players his age.
The problem is that Lee Jung-hyun’s talent is so overwhelming that various factors do not work as variables. Through his innate BQ and endless efforts, he was able to combine a solid body and skills, and even stood out as a winner, so he was evaluated as a ‘cotyledon that has been called a rising star’ since his rookie days. In particular, in this playoff, Jeon Seong-hyun (32‧188.6cm) led Carrot’s attack along with Didric Lawson (25‧201cm), proving that he can now be called a star of a team. It is to the extent that the rave praise that ‘the buds of talent are different’ does not feel like an exaggeration.
Seo Myung-jin is guaranteed numerous business trip opportunities at Hyundai Mobis and continues to grow every season. In particular, since his last season, he has been solidifying his position in the team by recording double-digit average points. His competitiveness is recognized as a good size for his position, running well, and as a long-shot guard. At the age of Seo Myung-jin, there are not many players who have already played 204 games in 5 seasons in the pro league. There is a gap of 100 games with Lee Jung-hyun based on the regular season.
However, it is true that there are many voices pointing out the unsatisfactory play, perhaps because of the high expectations. What Hyundai Mobis fans want from Seo Myung-jin is ‘Yang Dong-geun’s successor’. For this reason, the focus is on growing as a point guard, but he is receiving considerable criticism for his vision, sense of stability, and ability to assemble games. In addition to ‘arteriosclerosis’ in the sense of being stuffy, the nickname ‘Hangang’ was created to mean that he went to the Han River because he made a decisive mistake in a big game.
At the beginning of the season, he showed a sluggish appearance and received a worried look at ‘there is a limit to growth’, but after the middle of the season, he is on the rise again and is returning to his old look. After going through harsh times and succeeding in rebounding, expectations for the possibility of future development have also risen. It is analyzed that the fact that the way to use the signature was changed.
Seo Myung-jin has good personal skills, but he is still immature in playing to save his teammates. Moreover, when the opponent presses hard due to poor ball handling, the appearance of embarrassment is evident, such as making too many mistakes. However, there is Ronjay Avarientos (23‧178cm), a Filipino point guard who joined the team through the Asian quota system this year.
As Avarientos played the role of field commander, Seo Myung-jin was relieved of the heavy burden. He is mainly focusing on the offense and assist leading which he is good at in his number 2. He doesn’t take a long time even if he goes on the court as number 1, and above all, there is no burden because Avarientos is supporting him. He contributes to his team through his high energy level in his offense and defense as well as his renewed confidence.
Lee Jung-hyun is showing such a great performance, so his performance in the 6th playoffs is not bad either. Game 1 (18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists), Game 2 (16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists), Game 3 (15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), Game 4 (18 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists) ) maintains a steady performance throughout the period. Especially in terms of his scoring ability, it is not unreasonable to say that he is taking the most stable pace in the team.
In a way, Seo Myung-jin is following the same path that legend Yang Dong-geun walked in the team. The various shortcomings that are currently being pointed out are the parts that Yang Dong-geun also struggled with in the early days of his career. He covered his shortcomings while working with the late Chris Williams, a foreign player with outstanding leadership skills, and was able to learn and grow a lot in many ways. 토토사이트
Seo Myung-jin is also playing with Avarientos, reducing the burden of game reading and focusing on his best plays. However, as Yang Dong-geun did, you must not stop there, but learn a lot from the side and make it a driving force for growth so that you can further solidify your position within the team.
The composition with Lee Jung-hyun is also the same. Yang Dong-geun had a big difference from Ok Bum-jun, who was called an overwhelming ‘genius’ among his peers until high school. At the time, it was difficult to predict that ‘Yang Dong-geun would surpass Ok Beom-jun and become a KBL legend’. However, in his professional stage, Yang Dong-geun earned a reputation as one of the best contemporary guards, not Ok Bum-jun, and is now considered one of the best guards of all time.
There is no law saying that Seo Myeong-jin should not do that either. It is true that the wall of Lee Jung-hyun’s tremendous talent still seems high, but if he continues to develop steadily, someday he may be evaluated as equal or surpassed. The meaning of ‘winning’ on a big stage such as the playoffs is focused on team victory rather than individual records. Let’s pay attention to whether Seo Myung-jin can play a major role in Hyundai Mobis’ advance to the semifinals in the 5th match.