ANTIPOLO – Marcus Lee made head coach Leo Austria happy after making good on his promise of performing better, which helped San Miguel a great deal in netting their first win of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday.
Per the four-time Coach of the Year, the American big man vowed that he wouldn’t allow a repeat of his poor debut. And he did just that, playing a crucial role in their narrow escape from the hard-fighting Converge.
“After the last game, he approached Coach Gee and me. He told us na, ‘Coach, next game, what happened last game will never happen again.’ That’s what he promised to us,” Austria said after their 103-99 win at the Ynares Center here.
Lee struggled in their conference debut, when he tallied just four points alongside five rebounds, three assists, and three steals in nearly 25 minutes of play in a shock loss to Titan Ultra last Saturday.
But he did bounce back as promised.
The former NBL champion finished with 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 12 rebounds, and six assists, and also chalked up all three of the team’s blocks for an all-around showing.
He’s still adjusting, according to Austria, but the decorated mentor felt pleased with what he saw, especially his efforts on the defensive end.
In fact, Lee was part of the closing unit of SMB for defensive purposes, indeed a major change after being benched for the entirety of the fourth versus the Giant Risers as the Beermen went with an all-Filipino lineup to finish.
“He’s still adjusting to the kind of game we have. Medyo nawawala pa rin siya. But I’m so happy doon sa kanyang ginawang defense tonight,” he lauded.
Austria also felt delighted with the concerted effort on Lee’s part to involve his teammates, as evidenced by his six assists.
“Almost triple-double siya doon sa kanyang scoring. Double figures sa rebounds and in scoring, and six assists,” he said.
“Pwede nga naming gawing point guard,” he added in jest, “kasi he could bring the ball, there are a lot of players na pine-pressure yung point guard namin.”
