“Honestly, from the director’s point of view, it’s an important time, so I hope you will take note even if you’re not feeling well.”
Kim Sang-sik, coach of KGC Ginseng Corporation in Anyang, the leader in professional basketball, expressed his frustration at the vacancy of ace Omari Spellman, who missed the match against Seoul SK on the 12th.
Spellman missed the Seoul Samsung match on the 10th until today due to knee pain and poor physical condition. While Spellman was away, KGC fell into a losing streak, losing to SK, following the lowest ranked Samsung. With only 6 games left until the end of the season, he failed to reduce the winning magic number from ‘5’. The gap with 2nd place Changwon LG is only 2.5 games, making it impossible to lose tension until the end of the season. There is no time to prepare for the playoffs leisurely.
It’s a pity that KGC doesn’t have Spellman’s hot scoring shot that doesn’t cover the inside and outside. Spellman averaged 19.5 points per game, ranking second behind SK Jamil Warney. Blocks are also averaging 1.0, second only to Carrot’s Didric Lawson in Goyang, and his grip under the goal stands out. Here, unlike other foreign big men, his 3-pointers are also put in so much that he ranks second with an average of 2.8. It is difficult to block from the opposing defense’s point of view. 온라인바카라
The decrease in performance due to the absence of a spellman can be confirmed by numbers. KGC tried 11 three-point shots against Samsung on the 10th and only succeeded in one. The season’s average number of attempts (average 26.3) and success rate (34.5%) fell short of both. Manager Kim expressed regret, saying, “If I had a spellman, I would have reversed it, seeing as it went all the way to the ice even without a 3-point shot.” In the match against SK, KGC led by 14 points at one point in the 3rd quarter, but suffered a loss by 1 point at the end of the 4th quarter due to lack of support.
Like last year, it seems that how long Spellman’s absence will last will act as a variable in future league ranking fights and playoffs. Spellman was excluded from the power due to a knee injury at the end of the 2021-2022 season. KGC, who finished 3rd in the regular league last season, played the playoffs without a spellman. Spellman returned from Game 1 in the championship match, but was unable to show his skills due to his noticeably increased weight. KGC eventually gave the champ ring to SK.
Coach Kim said, “There is a break of 3-4 days until the next game. Until then, I hope (Spellman) comes back.” He was concerned about the situation where key players such as Darryl Monroe and Lens Abando are under increasing physical strain due to Spellman’s absence. While reviewing the game against Samsung, coach Kim said, “I told Monroe that I would take it out about a minute or two before the end of each quarter, but I asked him not to take it out because he knew that there was no spellman and the team was in a crisis situation.” After the loss against SK, he said, “I should have won at least once without a spellman, but it’s a pity.”