Lee Da-yeon was more serious about basketball than anyone else.
Lee (175 cm, F) debuted in the 2020-2021 season and didn’t see much action until the 2022-2023 season. She played just 30 games in her career, including just one game in the playoffs. His career averages are 2.7 points and 1.1 rebounds.
However, 텍사스홀덤 Shinhan Bank coach Gunadan said, “We have a lot of young players. The younger players need to grow more. (Lee) will get more opportunities in the offseason. The important thing is to grow and seize the opportunity,” he said, noting Lee Da-yeon.
Lee knew this, too. “The coach emphasizes a lot on the growth of young players,” she said during off-season training. But I’m still not up to his expectations. Especially when I went to Japan, my confidence dropped even more. I thought my strengths were speed and breaking through, but it didn’t work for the Japanese players. After that, my confidence kept dropping. There were many times when I was disappointed because I thought it would work, but it didn’t. But you have to get over it,” he said.
He continued, “I’m trying to become a better player. I lost 3 kilograms because I was worried a lot, and I worked hard to lose weight…” and shared her sincerity about basketball.
Lee Da-yeon, who shared her latest news, said, “I need to find my confidence first. My sisters also tell me a lot of stories. It really helps. But I haven’t completely overcome it myself. I still play without confidence. I’m reflecting a lot and trying to fix it. I think it’s more important to find confidence than skill,” she said, emphasizing her confidence.
Lee Da-yeon is a player whose strengths lie in her burst and speed. However, she was not given many opportunities in the regular season due to her poor defense. “I couldn’t defend, so I kept thinking about defense, and as a result, my offense didn’t work as well. My coach knew that, so from Japan, he told me, ‘Don’t just think about defense, think about offense.’ I think I’ve improved a bit since then. My defense is still weak, but I’m not just thinking about defense. I want to show more in the offense as well.”
Finally, when asked about her goals for next season, Lee said, “I still lack a lot, but I want to be an indispensable player for the team. There are many things I need to improve. But if I fix them one by one and grow, I think it will be possible one day. (Laughs) I’m doing my best for that.”