Goliath Center Who Shoots Three-pointers

Pro basketball team Samsung’s Seo Jang-hoon (30) earned a new nickname this season, “Tallest three-pointer shooter.”

Seo, who is the tallest player in Korean pro basketball at 207 cm, attempted 10 three-pointers in the first two games of the season. Among those 10, three went in, so he has a decent success rate of 30 percent.

Seo Jang-hoon’s three-pointers have left a strong impression because they were all important shots. At the October 31 game against SBS, he shot a three-pointer near the end of the fourth quarter as his team was down by five points, forcing the game into overtime, and he made his first score in the overtime with another three-pointer, leading the team to a second straight victory.

It is uncommon for a center, who usually stays under the basket, to make long distance shots. NBA’s Shaquille O’Neal (Miami Heat) attempted only 20 three-pointers in his 12-season professional career, and only one went in.

Of course, in the NBA, where most of the players are tall, there is an abundance of shooters taller than 2 m. Predrag Stojakovic (Sacramento Kings), who made the most three point field goals last season in NBA, is one centimeter taller than Seo Jang-hoon. However, this does not mean Seo Jang-hoon is attempting to turn into a shooter at this point.

Samsung’s weakness this season is the lack of a shooter. This means there is no “problem solver” to shoot a big shot at a crucial moment. Lee Kyu-sup, who was just discharged from military service, is not in good condition yet due to a knee injury. Therefore, Samsung’s head coach Ahn Joon-ho explains there is no choice but to depend on center Seo Jang-hoon to throw three-pointers when there is a chance.

Ahn Joon-ho said, “When Jang-hoon takes tall defenders to the outside, other players have the advantage of finding chances underneath the basket.”

Ahn Joon-ho’s tactics that bring out the best of a player’s abilities also had an influence. From his Yonsei University years, Seo Jang-hoon’s shooting senses were as good as any shooter. However, that may not always be good. You cannot stop a player from making the most out of his gifted abilities, but moving in and out too much might lead to a loss of stamina in the long run.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com