Maybe they should just stop leaving him wide open?
It is a question posed by known sniper Marcio Lassiter regarding Chris Ross being left wide-open by Barangay Ginebra.
Chris Ross came into the league as a defensive specialist back in 2009. Bringing him on had a con, however, as he is a career 18.7 percent shooter from distance. However, in these playoffs, the 31-year-old Filipino-American guard is proving to everyone that he can shoot.
Currently, Ross is San Miguel’s leading scorer in their best-of-seven finals series in the 2016-17 PBA Philippine Cup finals against Ginebra, averaging 18.5 points per game. Moreover, he is shooting 9-of-25 (36 percent) from distance in the series — almost double his norms.
Though surprising to some, Ross’s teammates since 2014 are not surprised with his current offensive output.
“I’m not surprised. Me personally because I shoot with him all the time. I’m just happy that he’s able to knock them down,” Marcio Lassiter shared.
“Sa ngayon hindi na kasi in-eensayo niya yan eh,” skipper Arwind Santos added.
Lassiter, a sniper himself, is questioning why Ginebra keep leaving Ross wide-open even if he hass already punished them for the first four games of the series.
“It does help that he’s open all the time. I don’t know if its wide open but it’s kind of open,” the 29-year-old shooting guard wondered.
“By the looks of it, I don’t know man. I gotta… A lot of times he’s just wide-open so… Maybe, that’s why he’s shooting it but all I care about is that he’s making it.”
But eight-year San Miguel veteran Arwind Santos is just proud to see Ross grow as a leader and with his will to win.
“Si Chris, gustung-gusto niya talaga manalo.
“At natutuwa ako na yung tandem naming co-captain, kami nina Alex, talagang nandun yung leadership namin kaya nahahatak namin yung iba. Isa din siya sa mga nakakatulong bilang lider,” the 35-year-old shared about Ross, who is proving vital in San Miguel taking a 3-1 series lead.
And Ross’ development throughout this conference has made an-already strong Beermen squad into an overwhelming force.
