They are still winless after four games.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters has had a tumultuous 42nd William Jones Cup campaign so far.
Halfway through the invitational tournament in Taiwan, the Elasto Painters seem like they are still groping for form with two reinforcements in Ange Kouame and Nick Evans joining the fold only in late July and early August, respectively.
They are still winless in four games.
The adjustments are understandable, given the little time the Elasto Painters had to prepare for the tournament last ruled by the import-riddled Mighty Sports.
While struggling mightily early in the competition, it appears the Elasto Painters are slowly getting the hang of playing with each other after two narrow losses at the hands of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Let’s take a closer look at Rain or Shine’s performance by the numbers:
18.5
That’s the average number of turnovers the Elasto Painters are committing every game, a problem that may be attributed to the team's lack of cohesion at this point so far and the locals' lack of familiarity with Kouame and Evans.
In its 73-71 loss to UAE, Rain or Shine coughed up 21 turnovers, the most it has committed in the tournament so far. Perhaps that's because of the short time the team has spent together, right?
Nonetheless, it’s been hurting Rain or Shine’s campaign.
14.25 and 7
Evans, who joined the team only days before the tournament, is a steady source of points and rebounds for the Elasto Painters. He even had a 20-point, 6-rebound, 2-assist, and 3-steal outing but in a losing cause against Qatar, 93-86.
Naturalized Filipino Kouame, meanwhile, is norming 12 points and 9 rebounds. In Yeng Guiao's patented system, no local player is bound to stand out offensively since a different player erupts on that side of the ball each game. But for reinforcements, like Evans and Kouame, it might be fair to expect more, especially in the scoring department.
14.25
For a team that flaunted crisp ball movement in the PBA On Tour, the Elasto Painters have been struggling in the assist department.
Rain or Shine logged 41 assists in a dominant 131-108 win over Blackwater Bossing and 34 against the NorthPort Batang Pier in the PBA On Tour. But it looks like dimes are hard to come by this time around, with the Elasto Painters only averaging 14.25 assists in the tournament hosted by Chinese-Taipei.
Obviously, the Elasto Painters are far from the well-oiled machine that finished with an 8-3 win-loss record in the PBA's preseason tourney, which was second behind the 11-0 Magnolia Hotshots.
Rain or Shine will face Iran, Anyang KGC, Japan U-22, and University of California, Irvine in the second half of the tournament. And if the team wants to notch some wins, it has to reduce its turnovers, look to get Kouame and Evans more involved offensively, and move that ball around much better.
(MDB)