Having been in the PBA for so long, coach Norman Black has seen players come and go. And on Wednesday night, the multi-decorated figure saw in person the arrival of 2017’s top overall pick, Christian Standhardinger.
Unfortunately, the Filipino-German forward wasn’t able to flex much in his debut. He played uncharacteristically, only churning out four points, five rebounds, and two assists while being whistled for five personal fouls.
But for Black, a single game is to small of a sample size to gauge how Standhardinger will fare in the league.
“It’s just his first game and he’s got to find his way into the PBA just like everybody else,” said the Meralco Bolts head coach after their 93-85 victory over Standhardinger and the San Miguel Beermen at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Black added that the 6-foot-8 slotman is in the same predicament as foreign reinforcements, that being accustomed with everything in the league — from the calls and to the style of play — are on top of their to-do list.
“Even imports come in and have to adjust so he’s going to have to do the same,” said Black, he himself one of the greatest imports to ever grace the PBA.
Standhardinger played a total of 19 minutes and 56 seconds Wednesday. With that time he graced the court, the Grand Slam coach took notice of his physical play — something that he can use in his PBA career.
Photo by PBA Images
“He’s tough, he’s physical,” shared the 60-year-old bench strategist. “We tried to use [Mac] Baracael on him tonight because Baracael’s probably our most physical player and we knew we had to fight fire with fire.
“But we couldn’t put somebody on him that would be timid and Baracael got a lot of fouls in the process.”
Still, the season is a long journey, and Standhardinger will have all the time to prove his worth. And for Black, he’s sire that the former German League Most Valuable Player will emerge as one of the league’s finest players.
“We’ve seen this kid play. Hs’s going to be one of the best players in the league eventually,” said one of the league’s all-time greats.
“He’s going to be a really good player in the PBA.”
