Not one to sugarcoat, June Mar Fajardo straight-up admitted that he’s been struggling in the 2019 PBA Philippine Cup – a conference he has dominated for the last four years.
Fajardo put up 24 points and 14 rebounds for the San Miguel Beermen against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters Friday night. But he had a hard time finding the bottom of the net, as he only shot 8-of-20 from the field.
After Friday, the defending five-time league Most Valuable Player has been shooting just an average of 48 percent from the floor across five games, which is notches lower than the 60.2 percent he converted last season.
“Nagii-struggle talaga ako simula pa lang ng conference,” said Fajardo, who’s averaging 16.4 points and 7.0 boards.
The Beermen are also struggling alongside their main man. Friday’s loss was their second straight. This is the first time in five Philippine Cup elimination rounds that they have lost twice in a row, as per the league’s stats chief Fidel Mangonon.
Moreover, San Miguel are now down to 2-3 – an unfamiliar territory for the team.
“Struggle kami, ako nagii-struggle din,” rued the 29-year-old. “‘Pag pangit ang nilaro ko, ako yung parang tinitingnan ng teammates ko. Kaya kailangan ko silang i-uplift.
“Pangit ang laro ko, malaki yung chance na matalo kami.”
But Fajardo isn’t losing hope. He firmly believes that they can still regain their groove as the tilt progresses.
“Kailangan ko i-figure out yun. Hindi pa huli ang lahat. Marami pa kaming game na lalaruin. Bounce back. Kailangan namin yung positive energy,” he said.
“Kailangan naming makuha yung old form namin, yung dating San Miguel.”
