BARANGAY Ginebra may have suffered an 88-97 loss to Meralco, but the return of Scottie Thompson provided the Gin Kings with something far more important as they head into the long PBA Governors’ Cup break.
Thompson finally saw action again after missing time, giving Ginebra another key piece as the team looks to settle into its rotation and strengthen its chemistry moving forward.
For RJ Abarrientos, Thompson’s comeback is a welcome development that should eventually ease the workload across the roster.
“Unang-una, iyun ang unang pasasalamat namin ang pagbabalik ni Scottie,” Abarrientos said.
“Dahan-dahan na namin na nakukuha by, yeah, Scottie’s back. So iyun ang pinaka-importante sa amin, dahan-dahan iyung role ng bawat isa is magagampanan pa namin nang mas madali,” he added.
Abarrientos and import Riley Grigsby carried much of Ginebra’s offensive load against Meralco, with Abarrientos finishing with 21 points while Grigsby exploded for 34 points and 10 rebounds.
Abarrientos said their aggressive approach was largely dictated by what Meralco’s defense was giving them.
“Siguro, it happened naturally kasi kung ano iyung ibinibigay ng teams like iyung defense, so kailangan lang naming maging aggressive,” he said.
The young guard also acknowledged that Meralco’s defensive attention toward him was something he had already seen in their previous game against Magnolia, prompting him to look for ways to contribute offensively.
“Add ko lang din iyung game ko before against Magnolia. So nakita naman natin iyung depensa ng team sa akin, iyung game plan sa akin. So iyun lang ang tinignan ko din kung ano’ng puwede ko matulong sa team,” Abarrientos said.
Despite the defeat, however, the return of Thompson remained the biggest positive for Ginebra.
For Abarrientos, seeing the veteran guard healthy and back on the floor outweighed the disappointment of the loss.
“Pero kahit ano’ng mangyari, na-shorten pa rin kami dito sa game na ito,” he said.
“Pero at the end of the day, we’re very happy na nakabalik na si Scottie sa amin. Iyun ang pinaka-importante sa amin. Ang pinaka-masayang nangyari sa amin ngayong gabi na makita namin si Scottie na healthy and nakakalaro ulit ng 100% for the team.”
Thompson’s return comes at an important point for the Gin Kings, who now have an extended break before the Governors’ Cup resumes.
With Justin Brownlee expected to return after his Gilas Pilipinas duties and Thompson back in the rotation, Ginebra will have more pieces to work with when the conference resumes.
For now, the loss to Meralco leaves Ginebra at 2-4, but the return of one of its key leaders gives the team another reason for optimism heading into the break. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
