SEOUL (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Jeon JunBeom lit up Wellington like a fire-breathing dragon in Korea's humungous upset of New Zealand in the first window of the Asian Qualifiers.

Jeon drained six three-pointers in his very first Asian Qualifiers fixture, finishing with 22 points and giving the Tall Blacks the shock of their lives. The 1.95m wingman was very efficient in their road victory, making a total of 8 field goals and playing the role of unlikely leader for the Koreans.

Perhaps his most important shot of that game was when he hit a triple that gave Korea an 80-75 lead just when New Zealand seemed poised to turn the tables on the visitors. That shot gave the Koreans enough cushion and momentum to close out the win, and it also cemented Jeon's status as the new, clutch Korean hotshot everyone should be aware of.

Jeon JunBeom was the star ⭐️ for Korea 🇰🇷 in Wellington 🇳🇿 6/8 from three point range 👏🙌 #FIBAWC #ThisIsMyHouse

📖 https://t.co/oHDP9kbr43 pic.twitter.com/bHSqM3LKej

— FIBA 🏀 World Cup (@FIBAWC) November 23, 2017

This is especially critical for a team like Korea, who have been known since time immemorial as a squad that lives and dies with their perimeter game. Throughout each era in Korean basketball, shooters have reigned supreme, from the days of Shin DongPa in the 70s, Hur Jae in the 90s, Lee SangMin in the early 2000s and Cho SungMin in the past few years. Against this backdrop, Jeon is being groomed as the next player ready to inherit the mantle of deadly Korean sniper.

After their win against New Zealand, Korean head coach Hur Jae recognized Jeon's importance for his team, whose offense leans heavily on shooting from beyond the arc.

"Historically, Korean players are not tall as other players, so we practice and practice our shooting," he said. "Compared to other teams, we practice more and that showed today with 50% shooting, thanks especially to Jeon JunBeom."

Remember that prior to the Asian Qualifiers, Jeon was superb for Korea at the EABA Championship 2017, averaging 14.8 points and 4.0 three-pointers per game. He continued his solid play at the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, where he nailed 2.0 triples per contest. Don't forget his 20-point explosion in the Semi-Final, where they nearly pulled the rug from under Iran.

Even New Zealand coach Paul Henare recognized the brilliance of Korea's shooting, noting how Jeon hurt them with his threes.

"People thought we would come in and roll Korea, but they showed they showed they're a great team," said coach Henare. "You break down defensively, you have a miscommunication, and they hit a 3, especially their number 17."

Jeon cooled off in Korea's second game - a loss to China - with "only" 8 points and 2 triples, but he still immersed himself in the rare atmosphere of getting to play at home in front of passionate Korean fans.

"It was such a unique experience to play in front of home crowds with national team jersey," he said.

Without a shadow of doubt, we will hear and see a lot more of Jeon JunBeom. At just 26 years old, he is set to enter his prime when Korea make their final push for a spot in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, and by then we may behold a tremendously potent scoring machine.

FIBA