Stephen Holt is hardly affected by Terrafirma’s PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup loss to NorthPort Friday which also spoiled his league debut.
The no. 1 pick of the 2023 Rookie Draft said he’d still embrace expectations and whatnot even if his first game didn’t go how he hoped.
“I know the spotlight’s on me, being the first pick, and there are certain expectations that are put on our group. I’m still going to embrace that. It’s just one loss,” he said after their 108-103 defeat at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Holt did finish with 11 points but struggled to find the mark. He only made two of the nine shots he took from the floor, missing all five of his attempts from deep.
(C) PBA Images
“Tonight, my shots didn’t fall,” reflected the 31-year-old guard, who logged 38 minutes. “I was 0-of-5 from three. Thought I had some good looks.”
But he did quite well in other aspects. Holt registered six rebounds and five assists and was of help as well on defense with four steals.
“Being a pro, it’s making adjustments. If my shot isn’t falling, I still have to shoot it, try to find ways to help the team out,” said Holt, who was fielded as a starter.
“Defensively, I thought I played pretty well.”
Still, the nine-year pro knows that he will have to be more aggressive especially on offense if he is to make his mark with the playoff-hungry Dyip.
“Just got to be a little more aggressive, take some pressure off Juami [Tiongson] and Thomas [de Thaey] and try to score more,” he said.
“My shot wasn’t falling so I’m just trying to do positives in other ways. We just came up short. Credit to NorthPort.”
