Shooting star Lee's Curry comparison

Saturday, August 26, 2023

Illawarra Hawks' Hyun-jung Lee speaks to his Steph Curry comparisons.

Being compared to the best shooter in the NBA, South Korean college shooting sensation, Hyun-Jung Lee wants to avoid the association.

Known for his intense shooting stats at college, Lee was the first player to break the 50-40-90 line in the history of the college – which coincidently, Steph Curry attended.

What does that mean? Well, Lee shot at over 50 per cent from the field, 40 per cent from three, and 90 per cent from the free-throw line.

"I guess it's a great honor, but it's Steph Curry. He's a point guard, he draws two or three defenders, he's forcing some tough shots, sometimes he had to do that,” Lee told the Illawarra Mercury.

"I had a lot of good teammates so I was able to shoot wide-open threes or wide open jumpers, cutting lay-ups. I like the title ... but it's Steph Curry.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lee’s first session at the Snakepit is in the books! ? ? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HawkNation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HawkNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ymg1CxwI6U">pic.twitter.com/Ymg1CxwI6U</a></p>— Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1688777163108122625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Lee played at Davidson in 2019-2022, where he quickly became known for his impressive shooting stats.

An unfortunate ankle injury in a Pre-Draft workout with the Charlotte Hornets saw him overlooked at the 2022 NBA Draft.

This year, Lee played a stint in the G-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Before that, he was a part of Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence, where he met his current Hawks’ teammates, Sam Froling, Dan Grida, and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WELCOME LEE! <br> <br>Lee has arrived in Wollongong and reunites with old friends Dan Grida and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HawkNation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HawkNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/p6pCnJ3hYH">pic.twitter.com/p6pCnJ3hYH</a></p>— Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1688457202527592448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The move to the Hawks for NBL24 is a logical one for Lee, who says the NBL provides the best pathway to his NBA dream.

"There's a lot of good offers for me back home, in Japan or whatever, but I really want to do whatever I can to challenge for the NBA and I think the NBL is the closest door to the NBA," he added.

Lee Photo: Illawarra Hawks Media