SMART CLARK GIGA CITY--Proving his worth took a little time but top pick Roosevelt Adams never ceased his work until he unleashed his true potential on Friday.
Adams waxed hot with 20 points highlighted by four triples and collared 16 rebounds to help Terrafirma list its first win in the PBA Philippine Cup at the expense of Blackwater, 110-101, at the AUF Arena.
It was the Dyip's first taste of victory since their 106-104 overtime triumph over Phoenix on October 25 last year as they also snapped a seven-game losing slide in ongoing All-Filipino tournament.
The Fil-Am guard, who was only averaging 9.6 points and 7.7 rebounds prior to the win, was ecstatic to have the monkey off his back.
"Yeah man, that feels great. I just feel like I won a championship. It's so crazy," said Adams.
"Our team has been going through so much this season. We had high expectations. Unfortunately, we didn't reach them," he added.
Emerging as the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, Adams was expected to make an immediate impact to the struggling franchise.
But during his PBA debut, the 26-year-old cager went misfiring as he finished with only seven points on a paltry 3-of-11 field goal shooting in Terrafirma's 112-101 loss to TNT.
With the pressure mounting, Adams has struggled in the next outings.
"Sometimes you get in that mood where you lose self-confidence and I think I've been going through that past couple of games and I give credit to the opposing team's defense just making it hard for me."
But a change in mindset helped him bring out the game that made him the first overall pick.
"Being more aggressive. When I get the ball, I've been very passive, looking for a shot instead of trying to see what the defense is giving me which usually is a drive," he admitted.
"Today I drove and went to the free throw line and got my rhythm and shots were falling so I felt like the rim got bigger for me. It's a good confidence booster coming to the next game."
Adams stressed that he still has something more to show in the three remaining games of the Dyip.
"I think I have a little more to show. I had no legs coming from the last game since it's back-to-back. But in my confidence, I feel like I have a lot more to show."