The challenge of Lens Abando (24, 188cm), which contributed to the victory against KT, continues.
Anyang KGC won 89-77 in the 2022-2023 SKT A-Dot Pro Basketball Suwon KT match held at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena on the 17th. Thanks to the performances of Omari Spellman (22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) and Byun Jun-hyung (21 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists), KGC extended its lead over 2nd place Ulsan Hyundai Mobis to 2.5 games.
KGC, which lost two recent games (11th and 15th) and lost a lot of points at the same time, was receiving criticism from the defense and was recording an average of 80.1 points before the game. However, KGC showed a sticky defense against KT and tied the score to 70 points. In addition, the field goal success rate was 51%.
Spellman and Byun Jun-hyung, who jointly scored 43 points, and Moon Seong-gon, who rose up after the sluggish performance of the previous game, 안전놀이터 were the centerpieces, but if it had not been for Lens Abando’s performance, it might have been difficult to win.
Abando recorded 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 blocks. In particular, the 4 blocks created in the defensive situation were of great help in running the game and at the same time aroused admiration from the spectators.
The first block was against Kim Young-hwan in the 2nd quarter, and the second block, which was the most talked about, was against center Ha Yoon-gi in the 3rd quarter. Kim Yeong-hwan had a double team defense, and Ha Yoon-gi, who received the ball through Anoshike Lee, was attempting to score under the goal.
Oh Se-geun, who was in front of Ha Yoon-gi, was caught with 3 fouls early in the 2nd quarter, making active defense impossible. As it was, Ha Yoon-gi’s easy goal was expected, but Abando jumped higher than Ha Yoon-ki and provided a perfect block. The 188cm shooting guard overpowered the 203.5cm center with elasticity.
Right after this block, Byun Jun-hyung received a pass from Moon Seong-gon and was able to score a quick break. The third and fourth blocks were recorded against Park Ji-won and Lee Hyun-seok in the 4th quarter, which helped slow KT’s pursuit tempo. The court margin recorded by Abando, who played an active role in both offense and defense, was +22 points.
It is still in the middle of the season, but it is true that Abando had difficulties adjusting to the KBL. In a past interview, Abando said, “My original basketball was one-on-one. However, Korea has a strong team defense, so it was difficult to attack.”
However, the impatience seen at the beginning of the season is gradually waning. The remaining task is to reduce ups and downs. Will Abando be able to fully integrate into the team while performing consistently? His move continues at home on the 18th.