COMFY COMING OFF THE BENCH
A lot of quarters have noticed that last season’s Rookie of the Year Greg Slaughter has been coming off the bench for the Barangay Ginebra Kings.
But the change has apparently done the young seven-foot slotman a lot of good. As part of the second unit, Slaughter still is able to norm double-double averages, netting 13.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per game.
And he seems quite comfy with the new role given to him.
“Whatever coach Jeff needs from me, I’ll do it. We all bought to his system so team first,” he said.
So far, that system has been a big boost for Ginebra, as it racked up three straight wins en route to a 5-1 slate and solo second place.
But just like his coach, Slaughter doesn’t want to be blinded by their early success.
“It’s good, but we’re only halfway through. We got a big one in San Miguel on Sunday. It’s a pretty big game, we just have to be ready,” Slaughter said.
Ginebra’s gentle giant noted that the biggest change in their run right now is their willingness to share the ball, resulting in the Kings being one of the best passing teams this conference.
“Our biggest difference is that we’re sharing the ball. Every one’s really happy about it and we’re having fun that way,” he said. “We’re playing a lot better as a team now. We’re playing good basketball.”
As for their next game against the Beermen?
Slaughter doesn’t want to be lulled by what people peg as a colossal matchup between him and June Mar Fajardo once again.
“At the end of the day, it’s San Miguel vs Ginebra. We’re not looking on one-on-one matchups. You got to get the win to improve our standings,” he said. (RL)
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