Among the current college seniors, Park Seung-jae (Dongguk University), Park Jong-ha (Sungkyunkwan University), and Lee Joo-young (Chung-Ang University) are among the players who will take the last spot in the rotation (1-4) after Moon Jung-hyun and Park Mubin (Korea University) and Yoo Yoo-sang (Yonsei University). What do professional scouts think of their skills?
Opinions from seven club scouts
Park Jong-ha, Park Seung-jae, Lee Ju-young / 3 players
Park Jong-ha, Lee Ju-young, Park Seung-jae / 2
Park Seung-jae, Park Jong-ha, Lee Ju-young
Three players who can’t be separated
바카라사이트 Unlike last year, we don’t hear much about college players entering the KBL Draft this year. A few names are mentioned, but they’re just rumors. There’s a reason. The current third-year players are considered to be worse than the fourth-year players. Unlike this year, where there are clear top-tier players in Moon Jung-hyun, Park Mubin, and Yoo Yoo-sang, the current third-year players have no such presence.
One third-year player who expressed his intention to enter the draft during the winter training earlier this year changed his mind. He said that he changed his mind because he didn’t achieve what he wanted to achieve this year, but the prospect of being drafted higher next year also influenced his decision.
This is why college students’ participation in the draft was a hot topic at the MBC Bae National College Basketball Tournament in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Scouts met with college coaches and complained that there were too many players to select this year.
They believe there are only six current college seniors who have the skills to be selected in the first round. The big three are Moon Jung-hyun, Park Mubin, and Yoo Yoo-sang, followed by Park Seung-jae (180 cm, G), Park Jong-ha (187 cm, G), and Lee Ju-young (183 cm, G).
We asked scouts from seven clubs how they would rank Park, Park Seung-jae, Jong-ha, and Lee Joo-young if they were to be judged solely on their skills, not on their club’s needs. The general consensus was that it was more difficult than ranking Moon Jung-hyun, Park Mubin, and Yoo Yoo-sang. In fact, one scout didn’t rank any of the three, with Jong-ha being the clear favorite for the fourth spot. Of the six scouts who ranked them, five ranked Park the highest of the three, and only one ranked Park Seung-jae as a fourth.
It’s worth noting that if any of the college players or high school seniors enter the draft, their rankings could be pushed back.
A scout’s view of Park Jong-ha
“I don’t think these guys (Park Jong-ha, Park Seung-jae, and Lee Ju-young) are instant powerhouses. Jong-ha is a player who can perform when the team gives him a role.” “Even players with offensive skills at the guard position are not given an offensive role in the pros. Jong-ha will be given a defense and catch-and-shoot role, which he has the most potential to perform. It’s because he has less shooting inconsistency. As a shooter, he can be the first one to get a chance,” he said, explaining why he thought so highly of Jong-ha. The B scout also said, “Jong-ha has one accurate shot.”
Jong-ha averaged 15.5 points and shot 31.2% (29-of-93) from three-point range in the college basketball league. He averaged 2.1 three-pointers per game. In this year’s MBC boat, which many scouts watched on the field, he averaged 24.7 points and shot 41.2% (7/17) from three-point range.
“Jong-ha is the best considering his physical condition,” said scout C. “He can definitely score. She has a good shot. His downside is that he’s slow and can’t defend. His speed is slow for his position. A bit unsteady. But he’s better than the other three,” said Park Jong-ha.
The D scout also said, “It’s not about who you think highly of, but how efficiently you can use them. Park Jong-ha does it neatly while being unsteady. At times, I wonder if he doesn’t have the heart to do it. “There are a lot of people from Sungkyunkwan University who are not active in rebounding and do not play backcourt. They know how to play basketball neatly, but in the pros, it won’t be easy to score if someone who plays some defense stops them. However, if you are attacked by a counterattack after a mistake, and you don’t play the backcourt, you are immediately benched.” He used the same expression of ‘fluttery’ like a C-scout.
Sungkyunkwan University has been on a winning streak lately after nearly disbanding. The team is a regular in the KBA playoffs and consistently makes it to the quarterfinals in the MBC.
However, Lee Yoon-soo (DB, 6th in 2019), Yang Jun-woo (Korea Gas Corporation, 4th in 2020), Cho Eun-hoo (KGC, 10th in 2021), and Song Dong-hoon (KCC, 4th in 2022), who are the main players behind Sungkyunkwan University’s rebound, have not been able to fulfill their expectations despite being selected in the first round. Lee Yoon-ki (Sangmu, 17th overall in 2020) has made an impact.
College teams play a lot of scrimmages against professional teams during August. It’s a time for professional managers to get a feel for the skills of college players. Park has to show that he is different from his seniors and prove it to maintain his current rating.
A scout’s view of Park Seung-jae
Park averaged 15.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 30.2 percent (19-of-63) shooting from three-point range in the KU last year. He put up these numbers while playing alongside Kim Seung-hyup, and was expected to do even better this year when he would lead the team on his own.
Park Seung-jae averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 33.0 percent (35-of-106) from three-point range in the KU this year, similar to his numbers from last year. In the MBC, he averaged 13.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists on 18.2% (2-of-11) shooting from three-point range.
A scout said, “Park Seung-jae has a long dribble but can handle the ball. He is a good passer, so he will fit in well when playing with foreign players.” The A scout praised Park’s point guard skills. The B scout also said, “Park Seung-jae is capable of playmaking.”
However, the C scout said, “When I watched the game, Park Seung-jae made two great passes when Lee Dae-gyun was running, and those passes are not easy to come by. He has the ability to pass.” “However, he is an ambiguous No. 1 (point guard). He is short and has a long dribble,” and regretted the long ball possession time. The D scout echoed the C scout’s sentiment, saying, “If Park Seung-jae comes to the pros, he can’t hold the ball for more than 15 seconds, so he is ambiguous.”
Scout E said, “He doesn’t play defense very well. He focuses on offense. If you play a zone defense, he’s pretty open. In the pros, you have to be a defender, but in college, there are many players who focus on offense.” The scout pointed out Park Seung-jae’s defense as a disadvantage.
Park Seung-jae needs to improve his long ball possession time and defense to get a higher ranking.
Lee Ju-young: A scout’s view
Lee Ju-young has been playing point guard since his days at Samil Sango, following the advice of Korea Gas Corporation head coach Kang Hyuk. When he was coaching Samil Sango, Kang Hyuk recommended that Lee make the switch to point guard instead of shooting guard for her future.
Lee averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 31.2 percent (34-of-109) from three-point range in the KU Basketball League this year. He started at point guard after his freshman year at KU, but he often struggled with opposing pressure defense. In her junior year, she was often used as a shooting guard instead of a point guard, and Lee settled in and showed off her long-range scoring ability. Given her height, Lee is expected to play point guard in the pros, but her inability to lead is considered a disadvantage.
An A scout said, “Lee Joo-young has better scoring ability than Park Seung-jae, and her activity level is better. She plays well, but I wonder if it will work in the pros. He can’t lead. He’s not strong enough to play as a point guard.” “It’s hard to play as a No. 2 (shooting guard) in the pros (because of his height). He can’t run the offense by himself to play the 1.”
The B scout said, “Lee Joo-young has a good shot and is tall enough to play the 1 (point guard), but her size is a problem because she can’t make plays and focuses on her own offense. It’s hard for her to get off the dribble and get over the halfway line.” The B scout made a similar assessment.
The C scout also said, “Lee Ju-young has a 2 style, but you won’t see a 1 (in the pros). Her overall success rate is not very high, but she has good shooting sense and movement. Of course, he’s a ball handler and he scores his own points. However, if you play defense in college, you often get blocked. In the game against Korea University, Park scored when he defended, and when Kim Do-eun defended strongly, he couldn’t score.” “If you play with a player who is a solid offensive option and create scoring opportunities for you, you have the ability to put it in, but it will be difficult for you to create it yourself,” he said.
Scouts who rated Lee Joo-young higher than Park Seung-jae said, “Lee Joo-young has a good shot, so if you give him the right role, he will be better than Park Seung-jae,” or “Park Seung-jae is attractive as a guard. In the pros, you won’t be given an all-ball game like Seung-jae, so Lee Joo-young will be trusted more. His offensive success rate is higher, whether it’s carrying the ball, passing, or catch-and-shoot. His shooting is so good. That’s his strength. It’s not that Seung-jae is better on defense. They both have good offense. Seung-jae is better at developing the offense and making A-passes. For this role to be effective, you need to shoot a lot. So Joo-young is a better shooter than Seung-jae, so in the same position, Joo-young is a little bit better.”
Jong-ha Park, Seung-jae Park, and Lee Ju-young have slightly different strengths that make them the favorites. The ranking of the three players will depend on which of their strengths is more important: Jong-ha with his physical condition and shooting ability, Park Seung-jae with his passing ability, and Lee Joo-young with his stability in the defense.
- Scout initials are used differently for each player evaluation.