Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caelan Tiongson power TNT and Rain or Shine to unbeaten starts so far in Week 1 of PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup action.
TNT Tropang Giga import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson hardly missed a beat while Rain or Shine Elasto Painters rookie Caelan Tiongson is living up to the hype.
Hollis-Jefferson and Tiongson put up solid numbers in the opening week of PBA Governors' Cup en route to earning the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Reinforcement and Rookie of the Week honors respectively.
The reigning Best Import awardee led the Tropang Giga to a perfect 2-0 start in Group A, averaging 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.
Hollis-Jefferson tallied an impressive 32-10-5 statline in his season debut in a 99-95 victory against the NorthPort Batang Pier.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson flexes all-around game as TNT gets title defense going with win over NorthPort]
He then followed that up with 25 markers, 12 boards and eight dimes in a 97-73 trashing of reigning Philippine Cup champion Meralco Bolts.
[ALSO READ: PBA: TNT drubs Meralco for 2-0 lead in Group A]
TNT now aims to stretch their unbeaten start to three games as the Tropang Giga face the Converge FiberXers in the curtain raiser later at 5:00 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Meanwhile, Tiongson didn’t waste time to introduce himself to the league after helping the Elasto Painters build an unbeaten 2-0 start in Group B.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Felix Lemetti comes up big in clutch as Rain or Shine edges Ginebra on the road]
Rain or Shine currently shares the top spot with powerhouse San Miguel and NLEX.
The 32-year-old rookie normed 14.5 points, six rebounds and 1.5 assists so far as the no.7 pick in this year’s draft proved to be a key piece for coach Yeng Guiao moving forward.
Tiongson put up a solid 15 point, five-rebound outing in 21 minutes of play in the Elasto Painters’ season-opening dub against the Blackwater Bossing.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Aaron Fuller leads Rain or Shine to winning start vs Blackwater]
Rain or Shine returns to action tomorrow, August 28 against fellow undefeated team NLEX Road Warriors at 7:30 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Meanwhile, eight-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo took the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week award.
[NEXT: 8-time MVP June Mar Fajardo opens new PBA season as Player of the Week]