The men's basketball team, led by head coach Choo Il-seung, will begin its long march at 6:30 p.m. (Korea time) on the 26th at the Zhejiang River campus in Hangzhou, China, starting with the first Group D match against Indonesia. It will then face Qatar on the 28th and Japan on the 30th, leading to the quarterfinals.
South Korea will try to win the gold medal for the fifth time in its career and the first time in nine years since the 2014 Incheon Games.
The Korean national team has set up a new strategy after Korea's top forward Oh Se-geun (SK) and defender Moon Sung-gon (kt), and Song Kyo-chang (Sangmu), who has become the core of offense and defense, are also out of injury.
Coach Choo predicted a shift to guard basketball instead of forward basketball, which he preferred by selecting Byun Joon-hyung (Sangmu) as an alternative resource.
Last season's MVP, Kim Sun-hyung, Heo Hoon (Sangmu) and Lee Woo-suk (Hyundai Mobis) are the main players, while Korea's top shooter, Jeon Sung-hyun (Sono), is also expected to help.
The conditions for the first gold medal in nine years are not bad. Prior to the Asian Games, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup will be held, with powerhouses absent or without key players.
Japan, which secured a berth to the 2024 Paris Olympics, did not have a main player who participated in the World Cup in this tournament. Lebanon, the runner-up in last year's FIBA Asia Cup, did not send its national team to the Asian Games at all due to its domestic schedule. Lebanon, led by Wael Araj, who is considered the best guard in Asia, boasts the strongest power in Asia, but will not play in this tournament.
China also left due to an injury that center Zhou Qi gained from the World Cup, while Iran's 218cm center Hamed Haddadi retired, greatly reducing its overall power.
Jordan is considered a candidate to compete with South Korea for the championship.
Jordan's strength has been further strengthened as Ronde Hollis Jefferson, a former NBA player who also played in the KBL last season, joined as a naturalized player.