Bennie Boatwright is taking quite some time to get acclimatized to the humid Manila weather since coming back, and it was evident with his performance for San Miguel during Tuesday’s PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup action.
The 6-foot-10 winger went a dismal 5-of-20 from the field, including a 0-for-7 clip from the arcs, although he managed to finish the night with 16 points and 11 rebounds to help his side get back on track at the expense of Meralco.
“I noticed from him, very sluggish siya eh, especially during practice. Maybe he’s still adjusting to our weather,” Coach Leo Austria offered after their 103-92 victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, which pumped life into their playoff hopes.
While this is already his second tour of duty in Asia’s pioneering pro league, this is actually his first time playing in the country during the summer.
It could be recalled that the former USC Trojan’s maiden PBA stint was in the Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup, in which he was flown in during the Yuletide season and made his Beermen debut on Christmas Day of 2023.
(C) PBA Images
Definitely, his current climate-wise experience is a stark contrast to his first, thus the struggles he’s going through, which have been reflected on the court.
His showing against the Bolts was easily his worst after impressing in his first two outings against NLEX and Blackwater, where he averaged 39.5 points on 44.8-percent shooting from the field, 14.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
However, Boatwright’s yet to have a good shooting night from deep. Including Tuesday, the 29-year-old has converted just five of his 26 attempts.
From four-point distance, if you’re wondering about it as well, the Gilas Pilipinas naturalization candidate has nailed just four of his 12 tries thus far.
He himself acknowledged the drop and the adjustment he’s getting through, but the LA-native isn’t sweating it that much and vowed to do better.
“Just part of the game. Just getting back used to playing all these minutes and just getting adjusted,” said Boatwright, who’s been playing an average of 40 minutes.
“Simply just get back in the gym, and I’ll be ready for the next game.”
Austria, for his part, is optimistic that his prized import will be able to return to his old form, especially with two crucial games ahead in their quarterfinal bid: Terrafirma on May 6 and then Phoenix on May 9.
“Bennie, after this game, I think he will realize na he needs to perform well especially in the next two games namin, which is a must-win for us to get into the next round,” the multiple-time Coach of the Year said.
