(c) PBA Media Bureau
Our national basketball team will play two for the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers this September. The first game will be against Iran on September 13 and on September 17, they will face Qatar.
Our one-two punch, Andray Blatche and June Mar Fajardo, will not be available for that two important games. So, one of the most important decision that coach Yeng and SBP will make is to choose the right guy that they will carry as the naturalized player on the team.
It seems like the two candidates will be Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle. A bigman and a guard. Who is the right choice? Let us see.
Standhardinger
Christian Standhardinger is killing it in the 2018 Asian Games. His energy is very infectious and he is non-stop on both ends of the court. So, it was not shocking to see that he is averaging 19 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.0 ast and 57.7% FG per game in their first four games.
His aggressiveness in the international arena is a thing that could be hard to find in other Filipino bigs. We need a bigman that doesn't care how tall the opponents are. They are the kind of players that can provide us a chance against the great squads.
And if you add the fact that bigmen are always our need, it could be easy to conclude that they should choose Christian over Stanley.
Not so fast. The off-ball defense of Christian was glaring. He was lost several times when the opponent runs a quick-passing set. Also, if we can get the services of Greg Slaughter, it will be much easier to cover up for what he brings.
His aggressiveness in the international arena is a thing that could be hard to find in other Filipino bigs. We need a bigman that doesn't care how tall the opponents are. They are the kind of players that can provide us a chance against the great squads.
And if you add the fact that bigmen are always our need, it could be easy to conclude that they should choose Christian over Stanley.
Not so fast. The off-ball defense of Christian was glaring. He was lost several times when the opponent runs a quick-passing set. Also, if we can get the services of Greg Slaughter, it will be much easier to cover up for what he brings.
Pringle
Pringle became a good soldier in the Asian Games. He acted as a facilitator in the best way that he can. I am pretty sure he was suppressing himself from trying to takeover plays and score. That pushed him to produce 13.8 points, 4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 59.4% FG and 53.8% 3FG per game in their first four games.
He basically showcased his ability to be an efficient scoring - pure point guard. Personally, I was craving for him to breakdown the defense more than what he did. Nevertheless, our team runs more quick-passing sets than the iteration of the coach Chot - Gilas.
Stanley was also consistent in his effort on the defensive end. He was attentive and was able to stay in touch with his assignments.
Position-wise, it is hard to justify getting a point guard when you have a lot of good ones in the PBA. Add the fact that coach Yeng did not fully utilize him as a creator. There is a big chance that coach Yeng and SBP right now is leaning towards Standhardinger.
VERDICT
This is may not be a popular opinion but I will go with Stanley Pringle. Pringle has the ability to play bigger than his size. With his strength and athleticism, he was able to guard bigger guards and even made excellent box-outs.
Combine that with his offensive repertoire. He was an excellent shooter in Asiad. He can easily replicate that in the FIBA Qualifying. The combination of his shooting ability, defense and scoring capability could be much useful than what Christian will bring.
Even though Standhardinger is elite in a lot of areas, he doesn't bring the ultimate equalizer in the current landscape of basketball, three-point shooting. I can easily argue that bringing back the combo of JP Erram and Raymond Almazan with Stanley as the naturalized player is better than bring Standhardinger and only one of the two.
Overall, I will still concede that coach Yeng and SBP are more knowledgeable than I am. So, I am pretty sure they will make the right decision that will help us win that two important games.
He basically showcased his ability to be an efficient scoring - pure point guard. Personally, I was craving for him to breakdown the defense more than what he did. Nevertheless, our team runs more quick-passing sets than the iteration of the coach Chot - Gilas.
Stanley was also consistent in his effort on the defensive end. He was attentive and was able to stay in touch with his assignments.
Position-wise, it is hard to justify getting a point guard when you have a lot of good ones in the PBA. Add the fact that coach Yeng did not fully utilize him as a creator. There is a big chance that coach Yeng and SBP right now is leaning towards Standhardinger.
VERDICT
This is may not be a popular opinion but I will go with Stanley Pringle. Pringle has the ability to play bigger than his size. With his strength and athleticism, he was able to guard bigger guards and even made excellent box-outs.
Combine that with his offensive repertoire. He was an excellent shooter in Asiad. He can easily replicate that in the FIBA Qualifying. The combination of his shooting ability, defense and scoring capability could be much useful than what Christian will bring.
Even though Standhardinger is elite in a lot of areas, he doesn't bring the ultimate equalizer in the current landscape of basketball, three-point shooting. I can easily argue that bringing back the combo of JP Erram and Raymond Almazan with Stanley as the naturalized player is better than bring Standhardinger and only one of the two.
Overall, I will still concede that coach Yeng and SBP are more knowledgeable than I am. So, I am pretty sure they will make the right decision that will help us win that two important games.
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