Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Too much Tyler Wilkerson on offense? Not a concern for San Miguel


Tyler Wilkerson carried much of San Miguel’s offense when the Beermen defeated the Star Hotshots 103-99 on Wednesday night to advance to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.

Wilkerson poured 46 points on 15-for-29 shooting and added 16 rebounds. With most of the locals getting defended well, Wilkerson had to increase his production to help the team win.

In the conference so far, the prolific-scoring import leads all players in usage rate with 36.1. But even if Wilkerson gets a lion’s share of the Beermen’s touches, the rest of the team doesn’t mind.

“Not (worried) because that’s what he does. Scoring the ball is second nature for him. I heard him tell coach leave him out there for the whole game, so when he is scoring like that, he makes it easier for everyone else,” Chris Ross said.

“Of course, you want to get June Mar more involved, but when the game is on the line, it helps you have an import like that.”

San Miguel head coach Leo Austria admitted Star’s defense against his locals was tremendous, and they were left with pretty much no choice but to go to Wilkerson.PBA-Images-SMB-Star-Tyler-Wilkerson Too much Tyler Wilkerson on offense? Not a concern for San Miguel Basketball News PBA  - philippine sports news

“Kasi napakaganda rin ng defense ng Star eh, so wala kaming gagawin kundi pumunta doon sa high-percentage player which is si Wilkerson. Kasi maganda yung game plan nila para kay June Mar at sa wing men. But Wilkerson, he refused to lose,” Austria shared.

Fajardo, who only had four field goal attempts throughout entire Game Two, does not mind not getting a lot of touches either.

#ReadMore  Asian Games: Brownlee, Perez connive as Gilas withstand Thailand for second win

“Wala, basta manalo kami. Okay lang, kailangan namin magsacrifice,” the reigning Most Valuable Player said.

Wilkerson, meanwhile, thinks San Miguel should also focus on defense and not just mere out-scoring its opponent.

“We just focused. We made a big push. Defense was always a big part of that game. We played hard D. And that’s how you win a championship. To win the next series, you have to play defense. We can’t depend on just our offense. We are scoring a lot but we are giving a lot too,” Wilkerson said.

If that’s the case, then people can expect more huge outputs from the Beermen import.

Video courtesy of Sports5

Written By


You May Also Like

Basketball

BACOLOD -Team Japeth and Team Mark ended up in a stalemate, 140-140, in a thrilling conclusion to the PBA All-Star Bacolod 2024 witnessed by...

Basketball

BACOLOD – June Mar Fajardo will take part in the Three-Point Shootout among big men, after all. Now fully healed, the seven-time MVP is...

Basketball

BACOLOD – How come June Mar Fajardo, the PBA’s only seven-time Most Valuable Player, has yet to become a captain in the All-Star Game?...

Basketball

ANTIPOLO – San Miguel got lucky in the end against TNT, 91-89, in a clash of PBA Philippine Cup contenders, Sunday night at the...

Basketball

June Mar Fajardo is working his way back into game shape now that he has fully recovered from a calf injury he sustained last...

Basketball

San Miguel opened its PBA Philippine Cup title defense bid with a 109-97 rout of the luckless Rain or Shine, Friday at the SMART...

Basketball

Christian Standhardinger was selected first overall once more in the PBA All-Star Game Draft on Monday night at the TV5 Media Center in Pasig....

Basketball

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) unveiled the schedule for the season-ending Philippine Cup, set to kick off on February 28 and conclude on May...

Advertisement