1.5 option + 1.5 option KT's interesting test. Isaiah Hicks + Derek Williams has been recruited. Will we be able to succeed
Jul 24, 2025
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KT recruited Isaiah Hicks and Derek Williams as foreign duo this season through the club's SNS on the 23rd' announced.
Isaiah Hicks is a player who played as a 2 option for Seoul SK last season.
Debuting in the KBL as one option for Seoul Samsung in 2020, he raised his stock price as the league's best defensive foreign player. It was at the heart of the team's defense based on strong activity.
Hicks, which increased its stock price, entered the Japanese stage. And two years ago, he was hired as an option for Daegu Gas Corporation, but was out for the season due to an Achilles tendon injury.
Last season, SK signed Hicks as a two-choice player. He was not 100 percent in condition due to his injury. However, he showed a full recovery from injury in the playoffs.
He sought to advance to Japan, but did not receive a proper love call due to concerns about his physical condition.
In the end, KT, which was struggling to recruit foreign players, chose Hicks. The choice of 'High-Risk High Return'. However, given Hicks' tendency, it may match KT surprisingly well.
KT brought Kim Sun-hyung. He is a veteran guard who is good at quick attack. KT has solid front courts such as Ha Yoon-ki, Moon Jung-hyun, Moon Sung-gon, and Park Joon-young. He has good defense.
The same goes for Hicks. He is a player who has a strong defense capability despite his poor shot creation ability. In other words, it is a combination that can make KT's defense stronger and suits fastball basketball centered on Kim Sun-hyung. Hicks is a big man who can run with a power forward. However, in the history of domestic professional basketball, there are not many cases where the 1.5 option strategy has been successful. Hicks is not a sure 1 option card.
KT will have to play this season with two 1.5 options.
The second foreign player is Derek Williams. He was a big-name player who received the second overall pick in the 2011 NBA rookie draft. He was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the first choice at the time was Kyrie Irving. Draft motives include Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers) and Jimmy Butler (Golden State).
It was sluggish in the NBA. He averaged 8.9 points and 4.0 rebounds over seven seasons. In the end, he moved to the European leagues after 2018.
He is a player who can shoot 2 to 2, mid-jumper, and 3-point shots. Speed and athletic ability are observed. The offense is solid, but there are some questions about defensive performance.
KT said 'Derrick Williams had the best scoring ability and athletic ability. Hicks is a proven player with stable post-play and rebounding capabilities. KT's '1.5 option +1.5 option' experiment is interesting.
Due to the nature of domestic basketball, high-deterministic scoring ability centered on foreign players in clutch situations is very important. Competitive consciousness about invisible playing time may also lead to side effects. Therefore, it is true that he was reluctant to choose 1.5 options, where everything was ambiguous.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
