DB head coach Kim Joo-sung has been planning for the season as he looks to continue his rise to the top as the team’s franchise player and head coach. He plans to overhaul the operation of the triple tower as much as possible before the season to capitalize on its height advantage.
DB officially appointed 텍사스홀덤 Kim Joo-sung as head coach after the end of last season. Kim started his professional career with DB’s predecessor, Wonju TG Sambo, as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 KBL Rookie Draft and wore the same uniform until his retirement from active duty in 2018. He played 16 seasons with one team, winning five regular season titles and three championships. He was also named regular season and playoff Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice.
“I’m honored and excited to retire from the team I played for, coach for, and now manage,” said Kim, who is looking forward to leading the DBs next season. The team has also been praised for recruiting Dedrick Lawson, Kim Young-hyun, and Shin Min-soo. “Last season, we struggled with poor scoring support from our mercenaries, and there were games where they didn’t even score 10 points together,” Kim said. “I think Lawson’s arrival this season is a big reason. He can give us 20+ points, so we’re expecting a lot from him. (Kim) Young-hyun and (Seo) Min-soo also have some things that the team needs.”
He also envisions a synergy between Lawson and the existing Kang Sang-jae and Jong-gyu Kim. “We need (Kang) Sang-jae and (Kim) Jong-kyu to play well for our team to do well,” Kim said. Since last season, there have been high expectations around the triple tower,” he said. “All three are big men who can shoot. We will continue to test the coexistence of (Kang) Sang-jae and (Kim) Jong-kyu. They have to be able to play together (to perform). We’re thinking a lot about movement and patterns. I think Jong-kyu can play well with Lawson, and he can play two-on-two with Lawson.”
Lawson, Kang Sang-jae, and Jong-gyu all have the offensive capabilities to form a triple tower. However, Kim emphasized defense as a prerequisite for the triple tower. “It’s different from the triple tower when I was playing,” he said. All three of them can shoot, so there are many scenarios possible,” he said. “However, to create a big power for the team, the triple tower can only be used if the three of them are in good defensive sync. If there are gaps in the defense, we can’t use it.”
DB finished the 2022-2023 regular season in seventh place (22 wins and 32 losses). “Our goal for next season is to make the playoffs. We haven’t been to the playoffs for three years, and we’ll reset our goal after reaching the quarterfinals.”