Alizee Johnson (27, 201cm) is one of the players that is attracting the most attention among Jeonju KCC fans. Unlike the big forwards Song Gyo-chang (27‧201.3cm), Choi Jun-yong (29‧200.2cm), and Lee Seung-hyun (31‧197cm), who are not worried about performance problems as long as they are healthy, this is the reason why they are not easily predicted by either jackpot, average hit, or side hit. big. It is not an exaggeration to say that depending on Johnson’s performance, whether KCC becomes a championship candidate or just an empty gangjeong worthy of splendor depends. There may be many reasons for the recent KCC’s poor performance compared to its strength, but there are also many foreign players who have been upset. Tyler Davis (25, 208 cm), a classic big man, caused great damage to the season plan twice by leaving the team during the season and going back and forth afterward. Lone University Hollis Jefferson (28, 198cm), a de facto swingman, not only did not match the team in terms of play style, but also caused controversy over the sabotage, causing the club and fans to worry.
No matter how good the national team is, it is not easy to win if the competitiveness of foreign players is low. The background that SK and LG are considered favorites for the championship is largely due to the fact that foreign players, Jamil Warney (29‧199cm) and Assem Marey (31‧206cm), respectively, are holding out, in addition to their solid player base. Hyundai Mobis is also reassured by the existence of Gage Prim (24‧205cm). This is why KCC fans were paying attention to the trend of foreign players. Johnson has played 76 games in the NBA and averaged 16.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in last season (22 games) in the lower league, the G-League. Looking at your profile, it’s not bad. However, KBL has recently improved its level. It is true that the NBA is a league on a different level, but there are many cases where players who have just a little bit of experience or who have played for a long time cannot avoid struggling on the domestic stage regardless of their career.
Apart from career, direct factors such as play style, physical condition, and personality are more emphasized. Johnson is not the type of player KCC wanted. KCC wants a player like Davis in the past who will take a heavy seat under the goal and hold the center with strength and size. However, for one reason or another, Johnson, who is a little far from that type, is the final drop. The reason KCC wants a strong big man is simple. because of the defense. It would be icing on the cake if they do well in both offense and defense, but they are desperate for a player who can hold on from the bottom of the goal when defending. In terms of offense, there are a lot of good native players, so we can make up for it. On the other hand, the post defense is different. In a situation where the defensive power of the guards is not very good, if the bottom of the goal is mediocre, the stability of the game will inevitably fall.
Of course, Song Kyo-chang, Choi Jun-yong, and Lee Seung-hyun are all good defenders. Lee Seung-hyun is the top 4 player in the country for his defense and dirty work-oriented play, and Song Gyo-chang and Choi Jun-yong are all-weather defenders capable of multi-defense beyond their positions. There is even an expectation that synergies can be created in both the front line and the back line, which are vulnerable due to their presence. However, despite this, the opponent foreign players who push forward with a good physique are a big concern. Now it has become like a buzzword, but like the saying ‘Who will stop Warney’, the existence of a so-called powerful foreign big man is a constant among the constants to measure the performance of each team. No matter how good the defense of KCC’s big forwards is, if players like Warney and Prim use their strength, they will struggle.
Song Kyo-chang and Choi Jun-yong are capable of helping defense, but direct matchups are difficult. ‘Lee Seung-hyun, who is famous for ‘Yongsu (mercenary defense), is also possible, not that he is good at it. In addition, the fact that a native player blocks the opposing foreign big man can spread a domino phenomenon to the bad side, such as a defensive hole and the possibility of injury to the player. 토토 La Gun-ah (34‧200.5cm) was not originally the type to have a strong physical fight, and now that she has entered the ranks of veterans, there is a high chance that she will have difficulties in match-up with a powerful foreign big man. After Davis, he was exposed to a lot of difficulties without a partner to relieve the burden of defense. Because of this, fans wanted a new foreign player who could fight to some extent with a strong opponent, a foreign big man, even in order to take advantage of the strengths of other players.
Fans who were thrilled with the news of the recruitment of a new foreign player were disappointed when they saw Johnson’s body. It was enough to remind me of Hollis Jefferson, who was not helpful at all on defense this season. Voices of concern erupted from all over the place, saying, ‘Isn’t it repeating the situation in which the barrier bursts on the other side because the weak points stand out even after recruiting good players? Of course, when Hollis Jefferson was there, there were no Song Kyo-chang or Choi Jun-yong who would be of great help in defense. If there were two of them, things might have been a little different. However, it is also true that the post defense is getting stronger. This is the reason why my head hurts just thinking about post competitiveness.
Regarding this, KCC Power Analyst Park Kyung-sang said, “I know very well that fans are worried. I can’t give a definite answer because I haven’t seen it myself yet, but at least Johnson is expected to perform better than Hollis Jefferson in many ways. Only the body shape is similar, but there is a big difference in play style, mindset in the post, and fighting instinct.” The part that Park Power Analyst pays attention to is mind and cleverness. If Hollis Jefferson was literally a wing player, Johnson is different. He is naturally a player who plays a lot near the post. As such, he does not fear or avoid collisions with his opponents or physical fights. There are not a few times when he puts his body together openly and attacks. In addition, as can be seen from the fact that he consistently records double-digit rebounds, his contribution to the game is not low.
He said, “I don’t see him getting that much rebound without fighting militantly under the basket. Like Ryan Perryman in the past, he is neither superior in size nor outstanding in his explosive athletic ability, but he has better endurance than it looks and, above all, is smart, so expectations are high. It seems that he has his own know-how to compete with big and powerful players, such as identifying the falling ball spot and occupying a spot. Clever players such as the late Chris Williams always did their part well. That’s what we expect the most from Johnson.” As Park Power Analyst said, it is difficult to pre-judge a player who has not yet trained in Korea. However, it may not be enough to be concerned about in terms of play style, which is clearly different from wing players, and has a clever and combative mind. Even if you only show your offense and defense performance on the previous stage, it is possible to create considerable synergy by matching your breath with the big forward team. Let’s look forward to seeing if the new face Johnson can become a new power source for the Aegis.