Riley Grigsby has a tough act to follow, being a substitute for the PBA’s GOAT among imports, but so far, Ginebra is liking what it’s been seeing.
“It’s not about how talented he is. It’s how well he fits us. And right now, he’s proving to fit us very well,” lauded none other than Coach Tim Cone.
The league’s winningest mentor offered as much on Friday night, moments after the Barangay dealt Blackwater a 115-85 beating at the SMART Araneta Coliseum to chalk up their first win of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup.
His new reinforcement finished with 18 points alongside eight rebounds. And while those numbers may not be that gaudy, it’s his commitment to their game plan that Cone and the brain trust appreciated the most.
“Right now, he’s showing us that he’s special that way — he’ll follow game plans, he’ll work on his behind on defense, he’ll go to the boards, he’ll do all the dirty work. It’s not just about scoring for him,” Cone offered.
(C) PBA Images
Their particular plan against the Bossing was simply to move the ball, which was something they failed to do in their debut loss to Phoenix.
There, the Seattle University alumnus registered 42 points and 13 rebounds but had zero assists. It didn’t help that he received little to no support from the locals, as no other player finished in double figures in their 81-78 defeat.
But all that changed on Friday night. A total of eight players scored in twin digits, with Grigsby himself accounting for five of the team’s whopping 35 assists.
“We didn’t give him a lot of help in the first game, and he kinda took it upon himself to keep us in the game. And today, we talked about ball movement and moving people, and he really stuck to that,” Cone praised.
“He didn’t try to go out and score another 40 points; he stuck to what we wanted him to do,” he furthered.
“And, he made some passes tonight.”
The fit, so far, has not been much of an issue.
Another thing Cone likes about the 26-year-old winger is his character, particularly his willingness to embrace the role despite knowing that the spot still belongs to Justin Brownlee.
“He knows that he’s following up the GOAT, and it’s a tough thing to do — it’s like trying to replace Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant or LeBron James … And he seems to have the perfect character to do that,” the 25-time champion coach shared.
“But he’s come in with eyes wide open, he knows the situation … We’re not putting anything in stone, but I think we owe it to Justin from a loyalty standpoint that when he’s ready, he’s gonna play.”
