I will not be shock if some of you only see Brian Heruela as a bench player of the San Miguel Beermen. Or for those who are familiar, the close-friend of Junemar Fajardo.
What some of you may not remember was the promise that he flashed in his rookie season with the Blackwater Elite.
It was the first season of the Blackwater franchise and he carried them. 10.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game was his statline. What was amazing with it was his consistency in the three conferences of that season.
He averaged more than 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists in all the conferences. His efficiency did not dry up also, shooting better than 40.5% in each conference.
Of course, we all know what happened. He was traded to San Miguel and with Ross, Lassiter and Cabagnot in front of him, he never found a way to secure consistent playing time.
This season, the door is more open. Alex Cabagnot suffered an injury, forcing the hands of coach Leo to play Heruela as much as possible.
He delivered. 17 points, 6 steals and 5 assists.
The highlight for me was the 6 steals. The ability to get the ball out of the hands of an opponent is a great indicator about the defensive instinct of a player.
Heruela could be an elite defender.
Actually, his numbers in his rookie season is a good indicator. The 102.9 defensive rating was respectable for a guard who was playing with unproven young dudes.
And his offense?
Heruela is not a torrid scorer. He is more of a traditional point guard. He waits for very good opportunities to try and attempt shots.
That is a good fit for a team that have a lot of scorers. Yes. Like the San Miguel Beermen.
I will not be shock if the plan all along was to groom Heruela as the heir-apparent of Alex Cabagnot.
Alex is already 35 years old. With his possible one month absence, Heruela has the chance of his life, to lock himself as the new starting guard of the Beermen.
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