Depth to play a factor in SMB-TNT series
At A Glance
- TNT admitted that it added key pieces to its bench with the idea of competing against the depth of San Miguel in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals.
TNT admitted that it added key pieces to its bench with the idea of competing against the depth of San Miguel in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals.
But with the two teams now at crossroads anew in the best-of-seven affairs, head coach Chot Reyes admitted that the Tropang 5G will still need to dig deep just to compete with the Beermen’s depth.
“As good as the starting five of SMB. They lead the league in bench points. There is nothing left to be said after that,” Reyes commented on the Beermen’s depth which had Don Trollano, Jericho Cruz and Mo Tautuaa leading the way.
Reyes believes TNT remained at a disadvantage in terms of depth even when they added Jio Jalalon, Tyrus Hill and Kevin Ferrer to beef up their bench. The three additions did prove to be valuable for TNT when key players go down with injury.
“If you want to be able to compete with them, then you better have the resources.And that's what guided our build-up in the off-season. That was the first. And the second was the injuries that we experienced in the last finals,” explained Reyes.
“It was a big part, a big objective for us was to address our depth. And I thought we were able to do that with those additions. So, a combination of really going and looking at San Miguel as the benchmark at the same time, addressing our own issues,” he added.
Coming into a semis series where its bench played a huge factor, SMB head coach is expecting the same, if not greater, contribution from his bench players.
“It's very important for the benches to take a factor. If you notice, since the start of the conference, our benches are performing well. That's my goal,” said Austria.
A testament to that depth was the four players who emerged as the best player of the game in their four semis victories.
“In the last four games of the semifinals, different players became best players. It's a healthy competition in our team. That's why every practice, they really enjoy it. Everybody's competing with each other. That's how to be a competitive team,” added the veteran mentor.