PLAYER VITALS
| Hometown | Yongin City, South Korea |
| Date of Birth | 10.23. 2000 |
| Measurements | 6’7 – 210lb |
| 24-25 Stat-line | 7.8pts, 3.1rbs, 1.3ast, 0.5stl – 57.4 TS% – Splits 38/37/92 |
| FIBA Qualifiers Stat-line | 13.0pts, 8.0rbs, 4.5ast – 2.25 A:TO ratio – Splits 32/6/62 |
| Role + Bankable Skill | Versatile Sharpshooter + Positional Size + Team D Value |
| Swing Skill | Physicality and Self-Creation |
| Defensive Matchup | 2/3 matchups, 4 to some degree |
A look at Hyunjung Lee’s bio is enough to realize how much of a well-traveled young man he is at 24. Lee left his native Korea as a high school prospect aged 17 to join the ranks of the NBA Global Academy in Australia, and he has been playing hoops all over the world ever since. His journey as a professional baller includes short stops in the G League and Japan, although Hyunjung has played for the most part in the Australian NBL with the Illawarra Hawks where the 6’7 swingman has established himself as a rotational piece that helps to tinker the lineup with his positional size and deep range threat.
SIGNED ✍️
The @illawarrahawks have added sharpshooting South Korean wing Hyunjung Lee to their #NBL24 roster ?
Read more: https://t.co/G6RceBwtbi pic.twitter.com/sYVC5ucPb8
— NBL (@NBL) July 11, 2023
Before his pro adventures, Lee spent three seasons at Davidson College becoming one of the better three-point shooters in the NCAA (39.7% career mark) and arguably the most recognizable face in Bob McKillop’s team despite sharing the roster with the likes of Kellan Grady, Luka Brajkovic, Foster Love or Sam Mennenga. Ultimately Lee decided to forgo his last year of eligibility in 2022 and went all in for the NBA Draft, but an unfortunate foot injury sidelined him for some time and left him completely out of the NBA Combine and the workouts season.
Shooters shoot and Hyunjung Lee is the definition of a sharpshooter if there ever was one. Lee lives and dies by the jump shot (78% of his offensive possessions per Synergy) with a thick of those coming in the Catch-and-Shoot (3.9 pts/game) while being more effective when he’s guarded (40.7% clip). Not just that, but Lee fits right into the versatile sharpshooter archetype, fearless in spot-up situations (81st percentile per Synergy) and ready to beat his matchup coming off screens (1.174 PPP). On the move, with his feet set, using one/two dribbles, relocating… You name it. Hyunjung Lee has the whole package and uses his size to his advantage to get his quick stroke going. Check on his 36.9% from three out of 4.3 attempts per night this season.
However, Lee has been in a sort of shooting slump since the FIBA window. He’s made only 12% of his threes in the last month and was particularly poor suiting up for South Korea (1/15). Good shooters miss shots. It’s inevitable. But on the other hand, Lee has still managed to put points on the board whether he was filling in a bigger role with the national team or in limited minutes with his club. He was productive via putbacks, attacking closeouts and in Catch-and-Drive situations, and even scoring off cuts. Lee gets 1.3 points/game at the rim in NBL play with a low volume and a 41% clip in the painted area, so the more he can diversify his offense, the better will be for his prospects.
Another encouraging stat for Lee is how accomplished he has become on his own end, particularly guarding the Pick-and-Roll. Contrary to what we might think because of his lack of elite athleticism, strength and explosiveness Lee allows just 0.588 PPP (88th percentile per Synergy) when defending NBL ball handlers, mostly in high picks. Although he can suffer matching up with athletic players on the perimeter, Hyunjung Lee knows how to leverage his height and wingspan against smaller guards. He has active hands to hunt for deflections, and enough motor to squeeze through screens, recover his man and contest shots from behind even when he has been put in jail or has lost his balance.
Lee can deliver full-court pressure on the ball too, and his slender frame and notable length (wingspan N/A) comes in handy on switches, zone defense and of course on the glass. Lee’s rebounding was certainly a weapon in last month’s FIBA Asia qualifiers, and he was also the key man adjusting and rotating in South Korea’s 3-2 schemes against Indonesia. Against Australia, Lee multiplied himself by dealing with the likes of Goulding and Vasiljevic in the backcourt, then covering defensive gaps and boxing out. He carried the playmaking load on both games as well, showing intriguing tools as a passer/connector.
The recent FIBA window was the first time Hyunjung Lee played for the senior national team since his debut in 2021. The return was one of the most anticipated storylines for the Korean fans: not every day ‘the best shooter out of Davidson College since Stephen Curry’ wears your country jersey. For the next time he does, it will be worth monitoring if Lee has brought back his best shooting form, has strengthened up and improved his physical approach, and finally added some off-the-bounce self-creation to his repertoire. A lot to like about the 6’7 sharpshooter, and a lot to play for until the FIBA Asia Cup next summer. Thrilled to see it.
