During his time in Kuala Lumpur, Matthew Wright was more than just an offensive threat
Filipino-Canadian sharpshooter Matthew Wright showed why he was an enigma prior to his with the PBA Wednesday evening.
The Gilas cadet was limited to just five points in he first 36 minutes of the game. But with his team down 65-75 against the Meralco Bolts entering the final frame, the 25-year-old took over the driver’s seat.
“We don’t really call plays for anyone. We just kind of flow into the motion and luckily we got some stops that led to some fastbreak points and I was able to get going. Chico [Lanete] was big down the stretch, getting those steals, and we’re finally in transition rather than just playing a half-court set,” he shared.
From the stops they were able to make, Wright became a man possessed, slashing through the lanes for tough lay-ins and knocking down a couple of three-pointers — none more important than his second triple of the game with 1:37 left that gave Phoenix an 88-87 lead.
“That definitely got my confidence up and once you see the ball go through the rim a couple of times, the rims looks a lot bigger, so I was just lucky to hit some shots, and it was total team effort,” the former ABL MVP furthered.
By the end of the game, Wright finished with a personal-high 22 points on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting clip, six points above his norms this conference.
Though his scoring helped Phoenix snap its two-game skid, head coach Ariel Vanguardia is trying to squeeze out another facet of Wright’s game: being a lockdown defender.
“Sa totoo lang, sabi ko kay Matt, hindi pa rin yan yung Matthew Wright na nakilala ko.
“Hindi sa opensa, ‘yung depensa niya yung talagang I’m not happy with the way he’s playing defense. Sa ABL, I have him guard the other import, so bakit dito hindi niya mabigay yung ganung intensity sa depensa? So buti naman ngayon he came up with some big shots, he came up with some big rebounds, but marami pang ilalabas si Matt,” Wright’s mentor since his days with the Kuala Lumpur Dragons said.
Wright though admitted that he is still adjusting to the calls in the big league.
“He’s very hard on me. Even if I do play good defense, I don’t think he’ll tell me,” he quipped.
“But that’s completely fine. I’m still only in my sixth game in the PBA and I’m still trying to adjust to the game speed, the way the referees call the game, it’s a lot different, no hand check, it’s tougher for defenders.
“Here, the advantage is obviously with the offensive player, so I’m still learning every day, and hopefully next game, I’ll be able to show a better defensive effort,” he said.
And once he gets this, only the sky’s the limit for Wright.
