In his second PBA game, RJ Abarrientos has a more solid outing in the Gin Kings’ win over San Miguel in the Governors' Cup.
To say that RJ Abarrientos had a tough PBA debut would be an extreme understatement.
Playing his first ever PBA game against Rain or Shine, Abarrientos shot a woeful 1/15 from the field as Ginebra lost its season-opener in the Governors’ Cup.
A couple of days later though, RJ has a more solid game in the Gin Kings’ win over San Miguel, scoring 13 points to contribute to Ginebra’s cause against the Beermen.
Despite a relative slow start, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone has full confidence on his prized pick from this year’s PBA Draft.
“What I really like about RJ is he took his first open shot and knocked it down. Took another open shot and knocked it down,” Cone said of RJ, as the no. 3 pick had a strong opener to help the Gin Kings keep in step against San Miguel.
“It just shows his mindset, he’s a rookie but a veteran. He’s a veteran of the Korean league and a veteran of the Japanese league, he’s not a young guy that we’re trying to teach everything to,” coach Tim added.
Ginebra is Abarrientos’ fourth team in four basketball seasons, and the slow start doesn’t faze Cone.
Coach Tim knows of RJ’s caliber, and the Gin Kings are more than willing to give the spitfire guard some time to adjust.
“He’s just trying to learn our system. As everyone knows, our system is a little complicated in the beginning and he just needs to learn and settle down,” Cone said of RJ.
“Once he does that… I mean he’s got all the tools, and the personality and drive to success. He’s gonna be a good one, we’re just giving him more time to settle himself in.”