It looks like the Blackwater Elite won’t miss Poy Erram that badly.
Expected to fill in the void left by the 6-foot-7 center, Abu Tratter made an immediate impact in his PBA debut Wednesday evening, almost finishing with a double-double of 18 points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes.
The performance by the rookie out of De La Salle was only a silver lining. though. His Elite bowed to the NorthPort Batang Pier, 91-117, no thanks to the latter’s balanced attack led by rookie Robert Bolick’s 26 markers.
“I think, for me. as an individual, I think I played up to the amount of work I put in the gym,” said Tratter of his outing.
But as impressive as he was in his first foray in the pros, Tratter said that putting up those kinds of numbers on a nightly basis isn’t his primary goal, as he’s more concerned on ably executing on both ends of the floor.
“I’m not really worried about that. I’m really worried about whether or not I’m executing well on offense and on defense,” said the 6-foot-5 Fil-American.
“I wanted to win today … There’s a lot more work ahead of me.”
Given the way he performed, more eyes are now on Tratter to see if he is a fitting replacement for Erram, who has been the rock for the Elite during the last four years. Asked if he can fill those shoes, Tratter is confident he’s capable
“Yeah. Like I said I have my own individual goals as well as filling in the blanks JP Erram had,” said Tratter, a former Gilas Pilipinas Elite member. “Coming into the game I was level-headed. I knew what I needed to do.
“Coach told me what my assignment was and I executed it.”
