Jason Perkins has been on an upward trajectory in the ongoing PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup, much to the benefit of his Phoenix Super LPG.
The sixth-year forward on Friday night led the Fuel Masters past Blackwater, 111-106, for their second win in a row, finishing with a conference-high 23 points alongside eight rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
“It’s the guy on my left that’s why we were able to win,” said head coach Jamike Jarin as he sat beside ‘Perk’ during the postgame presser at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“The stat sheet won’t show it, but he did all the great things.”
Perkins actually went scoreless in Phoenix’s victory over NLEX in their season-opener last November 10 but has since been contributing significantly.
He scored 11 points in a loss to current top-seed Magnolia last November 12, and then made 14 in their bounce-back win over Rain or Shine six days later.
His shooting percentage has continuously been improving as well. After that 0-for-6 shooting in the first game, the lefty bruiser is now shooting 41-percent — highlighted by a 53-percent accuracy versus the skidding Bossing.
Perkins’ solid play thus far could be attributed to his improvement shape-wise, as he’s now sporting a much leaner frame compared to past seasons.
Furthermore, he came into the season with a bit of an advantage over some of his peers, having gotten his form a few months even before the season began when he was part of the Gilas pool for the 19th Asian Games.
His take?
“I switched to San Mig Lights from Red Horse,” said the 31-year-old in jest, which drew laughter from members of the press.
“For less calories. And San Mig came out with the Zero, so I’ve been doing that sometimes as well.”
Turning serious, the De La Salle product, ever selfless, deflected the credit to the rest of the Fuel Masters, which are now at solo second in the standings (3-1).
“We’re just playing within Coach Jamike’s system. They’re just leaving me open. We play as a team, everybody’s moving the ball around and it just reaches me. Everyone is just moving it within the system of Coach Jamike,” he said.
