Tautuaa has no problem coming off the bench: ‘Whatever the team needs’
Moala Tautuaa
After a slow start in his pro career, Mo Tautuaa is finally figuring himself out in the PBA ranks.
The no. 1 overall pick is relieved that he’s finally delivering the numbers expected of him.
“I feel I’ve been progressing little by little. I feel I came out really weak, very slow, and to finally see myself getting better, and it shows in the numbers, it helps to sleep better knowing I’m doing what the team wants and needs me to do,” he said.
He once again registered a career-high 27 points alongside eight rebounds off the bench to help TNT nab the 95-85 win against Rain or Shine.
It was an unusual sight not to see the top pick in this year’s draft start the game, but Tautuaa knows that if playing off the bench helps get those victories, he’ll be more than glad to do it.
“Sometimes coach knows something that I don’t know myself will work. I was just playing the game. I took the shots that were given to me and today, they were falling. I’m happy that they went in and it’s just playing with the system coach is giving us. I’m just doing what he told me to do and we got the results that we wanted,” he said.
“Whatever the team needs. I understand this is another level of basketball. I’ve been playing ABL, college, high school, and I’ve always started, and if I have to come off the bench, so be it. I’m excited, happy, but it’s just another step and I want to continue to grow and get better from this point.”
Tautuaa was pitted against veteran bigs like Beau Belga and JR Quinahan, but he was able to keep up.
“It was still a battle. It was fun. They told me they’re going to play me physical and the refs let us play, but it wasn’t any different. It’s just the system that coach has being run.”
The Fil-Tongan couldn’t help but envy the duo’s nickname, though.
“How come they get a cool name and I get Pebbles?,” he said good-naturedly after learning the duo’s “Extra Rice Inc.” moniker. “Literally, any name will feel better than Pebbles.”
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