Consistency is key for Gonzaga's Jun Seok Yeo: 2024-25 player preview

Gonzaga's 6-foot-8 forward from South Korea had his moments as a sophomore, though consistency is key to earning playing time in 2024-25

Cole Forsman | Nov 2, 2024

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

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Gonzaga Bulldogs

As the only active Division I men’s basketball player from South Korea, there’s a different level of buzz and excitement that follows Gonzaga Bulldogs junior forward Jun Seok Yeo.

"In [West Coast Conference play], every gym we go you see a few Korean flags and you see people come to see him," said Gonzaga assistant coach Jorge Sanz of the 22-year-old Yeo back in February. "He's humble and he's extremely down to earth ... but he's still in love with all the people that don't know him [that] come just to follow him or come to see him because it's pretty much every gym that we've been to."

From the Stan Sheriff Center in Hawaii to Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California, it seemed like Yeo’s groupies were with him every step of the way as he experienced the ups and downs that come with the territory of being a first-year player competing in the highest form of collegiate basketball in the United States. On top of rigorous study sessions that sometimes lasted all day, the 6-foot-8 Seoul native was trying to adjust his game to fit Few and company’s team-orientated approach to the game.

Yeo had his moments early in the nonconference portion of the season: in the first start of his career against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, he shot 4-of-6 from the field and recorded 10 points to go with four rebounds in 16 minutes of action. Two games later, Yeo logged a season-high 23 minutes against Mississippi Valley State and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to finish with six points. He also had a burst of five points in eight minutes against UCLA in the Maui Invitational, which provided the Bulldogs a much-needed boost to finish the tournament strong following three straight days of competition.

Yeo played more than 12 minutes in each of Gonzaga’s first two WCC regular season games, though from that point on his minutes became sporadic as the Bulldogs were still looking to put together their at-large resume for the NCAA Tournament as late as late February/early March. He was able to see the floor and score a field goal in both of the Zags’ wins over McNeese State and Kansas in the Big Dance, though in totality he played just 16 minutes from Feb 1. through the end of the season (14 games).

Now a junior, Yeo will have to compete for playing time alongside a handful of talented players at his position if he’s to take full advantage of his opportunities.

Here’s a look at Yeo’s strengths, offseason work, NBA outlook and prediction for how his 2024-25 season will play out.

STRENGTHS: REBOUNDING, ATHLETICISM

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There’s no denying Yeo has the frame to hang with the rest of the bruisers in the WCC. At 6-foot-8, 218 pounds, his physical toolkit is on display whenever he goes up for a defensive rebound or a putback finish on the offensive glass.

"Jun was a little different. He was a little more well-rounded," said Chris Ebersole, the vice president and head of International Basketball Development at the NBA who helped oversee Yeo’s development at the NBA Global Academy. "He was stronger and had just a real kind of dynamic game as a forward, and he added a lot in terms of physicality and just an overall sort of well-roundedness that he could plug and play with our Global Academy."

Yeo was also efficient at the rim, albeit on a low volume of attempts, in part because of his athleticism. Per hoop-math.com, Yeo shot 11-of-14 in the paint last season, with three of those makes coming off putbacks.

With so many talented and more experienced players surrounding him, consistent energy and hustle plays can help Yeo earn more minutes as a junior.

OFFSEASON WORK: CONSISTENCY

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About two years before he joined Gonzaga, Yeo was the leading scorer of a tournament featuring a talented crop of future NBA players, including Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. The 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup in Latvia was certainly Yeo’s coming out party, as he put up 25.6 points in addition to grabbing 10.6 rebounds per game for the South Korean youth national team.

"There were some traits that were unequivocal, some instincts and some ability to put the ball in the basket," Sanz said of Yeo. "I really enjoyed watching him play.”

Yeo hasn’t shown much of that side to his game at the college level, which might be telling of how he’s adjusting to the Bulldogs’ team-first approach to the game.

“He’s an extremely unselfish player to a fault," Sanz said. “He just doesn't want to disrupt the fit and the harmony of the other group, even on the court. He’s trying too hard to appease us, so we want him to be himself. We want him to be aggressive.”

There were times when Yeo appeared to break out of his shell last season. He liked to get his spot on the elbow for a pull-up jumper over the defense (Yeo was 6-of-10 from the midrange area, per hoop-math) and wasn’t afraid to launch from deep when given space.

That said, Yeo would probably prefer to not shoot 3-of-22 from 3-point range again in 2024-25.

NBA OUTLOOK: POTENTIAL PICK IN 2026?

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It’s safe to assume Yeo’s player development plan still has a few twists and turns in store over the next couple of seasons before he’s ready to declare for the NBA Draft. He had the chance to enter the transfer portal, seek professional opportunities back home or go play in Europe. But like so many of his teammates, Yeo returned to Spokane with more than aspirations of winning a national championship this season; but to also follow in the path of so many former Zags who made it to the association under Few’s tutelage.

“His dream was to play in the NBA and to play basketball in the U.S.,” Sanz said. “So he felt this path was to help him get a better chance, a higher likelihood of one day achieving that, so he definitely made some significant sacrifices."

PREDICTION: ANOTHER BUILDING YEAR

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The Bulldogs are loaded at the wing position with 6-foot-7 Michael Ajayi and 6-foot-6 Dusty Stromer. When factoring Khalif Battle can also play minutes at the “3” given his scoring ability and Emmanuel Innocenti will be a factor in the rotation with his defensive prowess, it’s difficult to forecast how many minutes are headed Yeo’s way in 2024-25. If he can make an impact with his hustle and effort on defense, that’ll make all the difference for a Gonzaga squad that’s stacked at each position.

Down the line, after the six seniors on the roster graduate from school in the spring, Yeo could be set up for an increased role in 2025. Time will tell if he can make the most of the opportunities that lay before him this season.