Three players left, a foreign player suddenly departed, and the new coach arrived late... The reason why Samsung's three-game winning streak to open the season is even more surprising after 23 years

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

There is an even more surprising reason behind Seoul Samsung's three-game winning streak to open the season.

Samsung, led by head coach Kim Sang-sik, defeated Goyang Sono 82-81 in a home game at Seoul Jamsil Student Gymnasium on the 11th in the 2026~2027 KCC Pro Basketball League.

It was a dramatic victory. Samsung trailed by 11 points, 57-68, through the third quarter. However, they mounted a comeback by scoring 25 points in the final fourth quarter alone.

With 21 seconds remaining, Lee Jae-do scored to put them back down 79-81, but they did not give up. With six seconds left on the clock, Kerem Kanter hit a go-ahead three-pointer to flip the score to 82-81.

Samsung held onto their one-point lead until the final buzzer to complete a three-game winning streak to open the season. Samsung's three-game winning streak to start the season is the first in 23 years, since the 2003~2004 season.

Considering Samsung's recent performance, this achievement carries even greater significance. Samsung finished last in the regular standings for five consecutive seasons, from the 2021~2022 season through the 2025~2026 season. They aimed to turn things around each year but struggled to escape the bottom spot.

However, this offseason brought more setbacks than favorable factors for a turnaround.

First, key players departed.

National team center Lee Won-seok and guard Park Seung-jae enlisted in the military (Sangmu). In addition, the team's ace, Lee Dae-sung, was sidelined due to injury. Lee is expected to return around the mid-season after rehabilitation.

Head coach Kim Sang-sik previously explained the team's situation by saying, "There are no added players; rather, it is as if three players have left."

The timing of the head coach appointment was also late. Samsung parted ways with former head coach Kim Hyo-beom last April. It was not until last July that Kim Sang-sik took over the helm. It took about three months to find a new commander.

By then, the free agent (FA) market had already closed. There was realistically not enough time for Coach Kim to directly sign players of his choice and build the roster according to his vision.

An unexpected variable also arose in the composition of foreign players.

Samsung had signed Derrick Williams, who played for Suwon KT last season, and appeared to have finalized their foreign player lineup alongside existing player Kerem Kanter.

Williams played in all 54 regular-season games for KT in the 2025~2026 season, averaging 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He boasts a stellar career as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, and his offensive ability had already been proven on the KBL stage.

Samsung also planned to utilize Williams as their primary foreign player option.

However, shortly after the signing announcement, an unexpected event occurred. Williams left the team. Samsung had to find a new foreign player ahead of the season opener.

Ultimately, the card they chose was Chris McCullar.

Expectations were accompanied by question marks regarding McCullar. Given that the season preparation was already delayed and the foreign player lineup had to be hastily restructured, it was inevitably a heavy burden for Samsung.

However, since the season began, McCullar has been contributing strength. In the game against Sono, he recorded 14 points and 6 rebounds, contributing to the victory.

The performances of other players were also consistently strong. Kanter scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, including the decisive three-pointer with six seconds left, while Han Ho-bin orchestrated the offense with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Second-year player Lee Gyu-tae also scored 16 points, including four three-pointers. Justin Gutong also contributed in various ways with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.

It was not a basketball game where one specific player solved everything. Multiple players took turns fulfilling their roles at crucial moments.

Above all, what has changed from before is the strength to not easily crumble.

In the game against Sono as well, Samsung trailed by 11 points at the end of the third quarter. Late in the game, they tied the score once but then fell behind by two points again.

However, they did not give up until the final possession and ultimately flipped the game with Kanter's three-pointer. The previous tendency to collapse in fourth-quarter clutch moments was nowhere to be seen.

As a result, Samsung set the record of a three-game winning streak to open the season for the first time in 23 years.

The season is still in its early stages. It is too early to talk about Samsung's complete revival based solely on the results of just three games.

However, it is certain that a team that had remained at the bottom for the past five seasons managed to achieve a three-game winning streak from the start of the season despite multiple setbacks, including the departure of key players, a late head coach appointment, and a change in foreign players.

Samsung under head coach Kim Sang-sik is transforming into at least a different team than before.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original