THIS early, rookie Rhon Jay Abarrientos of Barangay Ginebra has been providing that youthful energy and spunk in the backcourt for the PBA's most popular team with his steady playmaking and offensive skills.
His performance got the nod of PBA great and former league Most Valuable Player Johnny Abarrientos, gave him a passing mark, although the current assistant coach of the Magnolia Timplados Hotshots believes his nephew still has a lot of catching up to do learning the complicated system of the Triangle Offense.
"Siguro out of 100, mga 75 percent pa lang yung maibibigay kong grade nya," the elder Abarrientos said.
"Pero so far, OK naman yung inilalaro niya, pero dahil hindi pa niya talaga gamay yung triangle, I would say nasa mga 75 pa lang siya."
Johnny was the orchestrator of the Triangle Offense of Alaska, adopted by then Alaska coach Tim Cone from Tex Winters of the Chicago Bulls, during the Milkmen's successful run in the 1990s that saw the squad winning nine championships, including the grand slam in 1996.
Sponsored content:
But Johnny sees so much potential in Rhon Jay and is confident he will grow under the tutelage of Cone, the winningest coach in PBA history.
"Ang importante kasi nagkakaroon siya ng playing time. Ginagamit siya ngayon ni Coach Tim as Sixth Man," said the elder Abarrientos. "Nakikita mo yung vision ni Coach Tim para sa kanya and since he's still learning the ropes of the Triangle Offense, dyan muna magsisimula yung learning niya. Sooner or later, kapag mas gamay na niya, he'll play a bigger role para sa Ginebra." (RJ)
