Even with just one game under his belt, Malcolm White is not afraid to give his two cents
New reinforcement Malcolm White may have just played his first game for the Globalport Batang Pier Saturday evening, but he already has his honest assessment as to why the Batang Pier could not break into the win column this conference.
And it has something to do with their defense as a unit.
“Well, [in the] first quarter, we gave up 31 points. If we wanna win games, we can’t give up 31 points. We gotta be better defensively,” rued White moments after Globalport’s 118-113 loss to Blackwater Elite at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The point of the 28-year-old American out of Louisiana is nothing but valid. In the Batang Pier’s four losses, including Saturday night, they have allowed the opposition to score an average of 110.25 points all over them.
With this dilemma, the 6-foot-9 center sees the need for his new team to establish an identity on the defensive side of the floor.
“We have to create an identity on defense. By now, guys are blowing past us, getting offensive rebounds, so we gotta be stronger on the defensive side,” the Louisiana State University product suggested. “I don’t think we have a problem on scoring. We just gotta be better defensively, and talk more. That’s pretty much it.
“The main thing is, we need to get better defensively.”
As for him personally, White, who had a rousing debut of 33 points and 17 rebounds along with two blocks, vows to come out much better in the Batang Pier’s next game, as he admitted that jet-lag got the best of him tonight.
“In the second half, I started to feel my legs getting heavy. I just got off the plane — my first day off the plane, I came and I practiced hard, maybe an hour and a half of practice. Have to get used to the place and everything,” White shared.
“My legs got fatigued in the second half. I got elbowed to the thigh [too]. But next game, I’ll be better. I’ll come back stronger. Looking forward to the next game.”
