Samsung’s Lee Won-seok Bulk Up “I want to play a lot of winning games!”

Samsung’s Lee Won-seok (23) has chosen to bulk up. It’s a sign of his desperation to move up.

Lee entered the 2021 professional basketball rookie draft as a sophomore at Yonsei University. He was selected by Samsung as the No. 1 overall pick, ahead of Ha Yoon-ki (No. 2-KT) and Lee Jeong-hyun (No. 3-Day One). The 207.5 cm running big man’s potential was huge.

In his rookie season, 2021-2022, Lee burst onto the professional scene by averaging 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 52 games. Last season, he improved his numbers slightly, averaging 9.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, but was limited to 39 games due to injury. “I injured my calf and my recovery was slow. It was my first calf muscle injury. I was mentally shaken,” he said, adding, “I was sorry because (Lee) Jung-hyun and (Kim) Si-rae are older, so I should have supported them more in terms of activity.”

Realizing the importance of good health, Lee Won-seok did some off-season bulking to make his body stronger. “When I bulked up, my feet hurt at first,” says Lee, whose upper body looks stronger than before. I lost some weight, but I’m still 1-2 kilograms heavier than my maximum weight from last season. I’m trying to keep my weight between 100 and 103 kilograms,” he said.

Prior to the season, Lee will be traveling to the Hangzhou Asian Games with the Korean men’s basketball 3X3 team, along with Kim Dong-hyun (KCC), Son Seong-jin (Hyundai Mobis), and Lee Doo-won (KT). “I’ve never played 3×3 myself,” Lee said. I’ve been a 3×3 supervisor at my school in high school, so I’m not unfamiliar with the rules. I’m worried about the different balls and playing outdoors, but I’m also excited. Since I’m playing under the flag, I’ll do my best to represent my country.”

In the upcoming season, he hopes to lead the team to the top six or higher. “When I was younger, I played a lot of winning games, but I couldn’t do that when I came to the pros. “It’s important not to get injured,” he said, “and I’m going to try to shoot more three-pointers. Now, I want to play a lot of winning games, and then I will be able to play in the playoffs beyond the sixth round naturally.” 메이저놀이터