Kim Jun-hwan made a surprise performance and received rave reviews from coach Seo Dong-cheol.
Suwon KT Kim Jun-hwan’s basketball life had a lot of ups and downs. He played an active role as an ace during his time at Kyunghee University, and threw a challenge to the 2020 KBL rookie draft, but failed. His unknown at the time came as a shock to everyone. Kim Jun-hwan, who suffered a setback, did not give up, and after a fluke, he was called by KT in the 2nd round and 9th place in the 2021 rookie draft.
The wall of Hajimam Pro was too high. There were many outstanding seniors in the team, such as Heo Hoon, Jung Sung-woo, Choi Seong-mo, and Park Ji-won. In his debut season, Kim Jun-hwan only played 5 minutes and 45 seconds in 7 regular league games. It was the same this season. It was all he played for an average of 5 minutes and 1 second in 5 regular league games. After the Seoul SK game on December 15 last year, he disappeared from the first team stage.
Nevertheless, Kim Jun-hwan silently did his best in his position. Mainly playing in the D-League, he played an average of 30 minutes and 33 seconds in 8 D-League games this year, recording 22.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists. In the KT game, Kim Jun-hwan was the most noticeable, and his presence was unrivaled. It showed his explosive scoring ability and reminded me of his days at Kyung Hee University.
And at the end of the wait, the opportunity came. The 2022-2023 SKT A-Dot Professional Basketball Suwon KT and Changwon LG’s 6th round confrontation held at Suwon KT Sonic Boom Arena on the 25th. The pillar of the team, Ha Yoon-ki먹튀검증, suddenly complained of back pain and left. KT coach Seo Dong-cheol included Kim Jun-hwan instead of Big Man Resource in Ha Yoon-ki’s vacancy.
It was a sudden appearance, but Kim Jun-hwan was ready. He played all 20 minutes of the second half against LG, recording 10 points and 1 rebound, including 1 3-point shot. When he got a chance, he shot confidently and scored with a bold breakthrough. The playing time and 10 points on this day were the most individual records in a game.
The time when Kim Jun-hwan shined the most was in the 4th quarter, when he was in the middle of the game. He laid up a layup following a break through, followed by a 3-point shot. KT, which had been dragged throughout the game, caught up with Kim Jun-hwan and Yang Hong-seok with strength and even a one-point gap (73-74) in the 4th quarter. Although it did not lead to a turnaround, Kim Jun-hwan’s play was outstanding.
After the game, head coach Seo Dong-cheol said, “(Kim) Jun-hwan personally prepared a lot even if he didn’t make it to the first-team entry. Actually, he was planning to join me a month ago, but I missed the timing because I was sick with a bad cold. Today (25th) (lower) Yoongi was missing, so he was replaced by Junhwan. Although our team has weaknesses in defense, we also need players who can boldly throw in offense. So I chose Junhwan, and when the opportunity came, he took it well. He showed a very nice appearance today,” he praised.
Kim Jun-hwan, who made a surprise performance and received rave reviews from the command tower. Although KT lost, his play deserved applause. The appearance of Kim Jun-hwan on this day is expected to serve as a model for players playing on the D-League stage.