Seoul SK is home to all of last season’s Most Valuable Players (MVPs) in professional basketball.
While regular season MVP Kim Sun-hyung and foreign player MVP Jamil Warney are holding on, playoff (PO) MVP Oh Se-geun has joined the team ahead of this season.
SK is considered to be the team closest to winning the title, but their early season performance has been mixed.
With a win-loss record of 4-4-4 and a 5-percent winning percentage, SK won three straight games, starting with the game against Daegu KOGAS on the 16th, to move up to third place (7-4).
After a 20-point, 11-rebound performance in the team’s last game on the road against Suwon KT on Nov. 18, Oh followed it up with 15 points and eight rebounds at home against Seoul Samsung on Nov. 20.
With Warney exploding for 31 points and 16 rebounds, SK defeated Samsung 82-75 to extend their home winning streak to nine games.
“I think we’re only halfway there,” said Oh when asked after the game how far the team has come compared to pre-season expectations.
“It’s not linear yet, I’m not in perfect shape, and (Ahn) Young-joon just joined us,” he said, adding, “We also need Gomez Del Riano to join us. If we all join, we will be a scarier team in the third and fourth rounds.”
Most of all, Oh welcomed the return of Ahn Young-jun after his military service.
With his mid-190-centimeter height and mobility, Ahn’s ability to break through and shoot from the outside, as well as his defensive ability to block guards and big men at the same time, made his return to SK highly anticipated.
“Young-jun is a player who can play multiple positions. He’s a big help to the team in both offense and defense, so he’s a big boost for me.” “If we work together more, we’ll be a stronger team than we are now,” he said.
Coach Jeon Hee-cheol believes that Ahn’s shooting ability draws defenses to him and creates space for big men like Oh Se-geun to play.
“I’ve been feeling better since the last game. I feel confident that I will continue to play well,” he said, adding, “The schedule has been tight lately, but we can’t use it as an excuse.”
Oh has one of the most precise outside shots among Korean big men, but his field goal percentage has dropped to 38.6 percent this season. He has recovered in the last two games.
“I’m in the process of getting my shooting touch. After the second round, my shooting and physical condition will improve in the second half of the third round.” “We had a tight schedule, but I kept practicing despite that. I have the idea that I have to practice, so I’m practicing (shooting) a lot.” 토토