Justin Gutang, who arrived in Korea on July 17 and began preparing for the 2023-2024 season with his teammates, named Yang Jun-seok as a player he’s looking forward to playing with this season.토토사이트
LG signed Gutang to a one-year contract last season to bolster its forward lineup. Gutang is more of a guard than a forward, and he arrived unfit and spent the first part of the season in the D-League rather than the regular season. At the time, he looked like a bust.
After losing weight, Gutang changed. Gutang became a vital piece of the second unit and helped LG finish second in the regular season.
After averaging 4.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 13:37 minutes in 44 regular season games, Gutang was even better in the playoffs, averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 19:46 minutes in three games. What’s more, his three-point shooting percentage jumped from 16.7% (3-of-18) to 50.0% (3-of-6), albeit not in terms of attempts.안전놀이터추천
Toward the end of the season, LG’s signing of Gutang to a one-year contract could prove to be a poison pill. Seoul SK, which did not sign an Asian quarterback last season, could have coveted the KBL-acclimatized Gutang.
LG was able to re-sign Gutang and reunite them once again. Unlike last season, Gutang arrived in the country on the 17th before the team started training and has been training with the team since the 19th.
“It’s easier than last season,” Gutang said after training on the afternoon of the 20th, “because I got in shape during the vacation, and I know what the manager, coach, and the club expect from me, so it’s much easier to prepare for this offseason.”
LG head coach Cho Sang-hyun was pleased with Gutang’s physical condition, saying it was much better than last season.
“Because I had the experience last year, I know what to expect and what to do, so I continued to train with a personal trainer in the Philippines and in the United States (where I have family). “The coach told me a lot of my shortcomings, especially that I should come back with a lot of shooting practice, so I focused on shooting while dribbling, shooting without the ball, and shooting with the pass right away,” Gutang said, sharing how he worked on his body during the vacation.
Gutang could have gone to another league if he wanted to.
When asked why he signed with LG again, Gutang said, “The biggest reason I came back is because of my teammates. From the beginning to the end of last season, we became very close as we went through the good and bad times together. So my teammates are the biggest reason.”
“I’m very competitive, and I was in and out of the D-League at the beginning of the season, but my coach told me to never give up and that I would have a good chance if I kept going, and it worked out,” Gutang said.
Gutang’s shooting, which was shaky in the regular season, became increasingly accurate with jumpers, and he even showed off his three-point shooting ability in the playoffs.
“Shooting is shooting, but I want to be an all-around player, and I want to contribute in any way I can to help LG win, do well, and become champions,” Gutang said.
“Last season, I had good chemistry with Lee Kwan-hee. “This year, I hope to work well with Yang Jun-suk to learn from each other, support each other, and bring out each other’s abilities.” “I want to improve my shooting ability,” Gutang said.
Gutang added, “We need to improve our shooting ability and try to take more shots when the defense is down, which is what the coach wants. We will start the season well prepared mentally.”