Chot praises players who put in effort in TNT's win over NLEX

Alta Sports13 days ago · 339 views

Chot praises players who put in effort in TNT's win over NLEX image

Photo: PBA Images

By James Ajero

TNT coach Chot Reyes said he prioritized using players who put in the effort on both the offensive and defensive ends following Tropang 5G's thrilling 103-97 win over NLEX last Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The 11-time PBA champion said he tinkered around his rotation to find the most effective lineup against the Road Warriors en route to their first win in the PBA 50 Commissioner's Cup.

"The message that I'm sending to the team is I don't care who you are, we are going to play the players that are putting in the effort," said Reyes at a post-game conference.

Photo: PBA Images

"That's why you saw we started Jayson [Castro], but then Jayson was getting beat defensively, [I] took him out right away."

While Bol Bol took home Player of the Game honors behind a dominant 40-point, 15-rebound outing, TNT also drew strong contributions from its local supporting cast, with Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser tallying 14 points and a plus-minus of +16. Mike Nieto also provided quality minutes, with TNT outscoring NLEX by 12 points when he was on the court.

Reyes emphasized that his players must contribute not just on offense but also defensively to earn their minutes on the court.

"I got guys like Justin Chua even more minutes than Henry Galinato, because he was way off his game. Same thing with getting in Kevin Ferrer because obviously we do not have Glenn Khobuntin," he said.

"Again, it's just a message I'm sending to our players that we are going to play the guys who may not be the most talented, may not be the biggest, or the most skilled, but they're going to lead us in the effort department," Reyes added.

All comments 29