*This content was translated by AI.
The Korean Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team, aiming for its first Asian Games gold medal in 12 years, faces a fated matchup against Japan. In Japan itself, the country's ace Lee Hyun-jung has been specifically singled out, revealing strong vigilance.
Led by coach Nicholas Mazulis, the Korean Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team will face host nation Japan in the Group A third round of the men's basketball preliminary round at the 2026 Aichi·Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.
This is literally a decisive match for first place in the group. South Korea has secured back-to-back victories by defeating Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Japan also defeated Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in succession. The winner of this head-to-head matchup between the two teams, both with two wins, will advance to the quarterfinals as Group A's top seed.
Twelve teams are participating in the Asian Games men's basketball tournament. Teams are divided into three groups of four for the preliminary round, after which the top two teams from each group and the two third-place teams with the best records advance to the quarterfinal tournament.
For South Korea, challenging for its first gold medal since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, the match against Japan is a crucial test before the official championship competition begins. If they win and secure first place in the group, they can expect a more favorable bracket in the tournament stage.
Japan is also taking the Korea match very seriously. At the center of this concern is Lee Hyun-jung.
Lee Hyun-jung is demonstrating that Japan's vigilance is not exaggerated even in this tournament. In the first group round match against Saudi Arabia, he led his team with a game-high 23 points. Although he scored his first points somewhat late in the final minutes of the second quarter, he quickly regained his offensive rhythm and led South Korea to an 82-66 victory.
In the second match against Indonesia, he was even more powerful. He recorded another team-high 24 points and hit four three-pointers. He also grabbed 10 rebounds to complete a double-double. What is even more surprising is his playing time. Lee Hyun-jung recorded 24 points and 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes and 17 seconds against Indonesia.
Japanese basketball specialty media Basketball King also highlighted Lee Hyun-jung's performance while reporting on South Korea's victory over Indonesia, stating, "Lee Hyun-jung played brilliantly with 24 points and 10 rebounds."
The outlet also described the final group round match between South Korea and Japan as a "matchup to watch."
Japan's vigilance toward Lee Hyun-jung was already significant before the Asian Games opened. Earlier, Sports Navi stated, "Anyone who follows the B.League knows the fear of Lee Hyun-jung, who played for Nagasaki Velca until last season."
There is reason for that. Lee Hyun-jung played as a key figure for Nagasaki in the 2025-2026 B.League season. In 57 regular-season games, he averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. Notably, his 3-point shooting percentage of 47.9% and 187 made three-pointers ranked first overall in the league in both categories.
His presence was overwhelming even in the playoffs. Especially in the third game of the finals, where the championship was on the line, he recorded 23 points and 5 rebounds, including three three-pointers, leading his team to the top of the standings.
After finishing the season, Lee Hyun-jung received B.League Best Five and Asia Quarter Choi U-su-seon (수상) awards, and also captured the Championship MVP. It would not be an exaggeration to say he has made the Japanese stage his own.
Sports Navi also highly evaluated him, stating, "Lee Hyun-jung became the Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) at Nagasaki, which included NBA-born players such as Stanley Johnson and Jarell Brantley last season."
Building on his outstanding performance in Japan, Lee Hyun-jung also experienced the NBA Summer League stage this past summer. Afterward, he signed an 'Exhibit 10' contract with the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA on the 7th, embarking on another challenge to reach the NBA.
What Japanese media focused on even more was the destructive power of national team player Lee Hyun-jung. Sports Navi reported, "Since he is utilized as the first option for the South Korean national team, his performance is even more surprising."
The outlet further noted that how Yoshimoto coach, who handles defense for the Japanese national team, will solve the mission of 'stopping Lee Hyun-jung' is one of the key viewing points of this Asian Games.
Additionally, the media predicted, "The Korea match is the biggest hurdle in the group round; if they defeat South Korea, where Lee Hyun-jung is holding strong, and take first place in Group A, Japan's dream of its first-ever gold medal will begin to come into view." The best historical result for Japanese men's basketball is a silver medal, having achieved runner-up status twice at the 1951 New Delhi Games and the 1962 Jakarta Games.
It then clearly emphasized, "They must stop Lee Hyun-jung."
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*This content was translated by AI.
