JIMMY Alapag won't admit it straight up, but the clock is ticking on Nick King's stay in San Miguel Alab Pilipinas.
That thing is certain after the 24-year-old forward's horrifying showing in the Philippine club's 102-89 defeat to Mono Vampire on Sunday that sent them tumbling to a 6-4 card in the ongoing ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) season.
"Nick King's here, but obviously he needs to be better than he was tonight," Alapag said, mincing no words after King shot a paltry 2-of-17 clip to finish with six points, six rebounds, and four assists in the loss.
King has to improve himself quickly, especially with Alab actively discussing the possibility of bringing back Justin Brownlee.
Alapag, though, isn't one to push on the panic button any time soon, giving everyone enough opportunities to prove themselves worthy.
"Justin's on a break right now. He's coming off a heavy four to five months with Ginebra, so he deserves this time with his family right now," he said of the St. John's product, who is currently on vacation after helping Ginebra win the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup.
Lucky for King, he still has a chance at redemption with Alab set for its last faceoff against Mono on Thursday, this time in Nonthaburi.
"The great thing about playing a bad game is being able to play again right away, and we have a game three nights from now, so he's gotta be better Thursday night," he said.
It's not just for King, but for the whole Alab squad also as the Filipinos shot only 40-percent from the field and allowed Mono to hit on a sick 54-percent clip.
"We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be. We came out a few weeks or maybe about a month ago and played well and had a good win against them, but they came out tonight ready to play right from the start," Alapag said, with Alab finding itself on an 11-point hole, 11-6, early, and a 16-point deficit, 49-36, just before the first half ended.
Although Prince Williams' late spurt kept Alab within striking distance, it wasn't enough as Mike Singletary, Michael Morrison, and Tyler Lamb put the game away late.
"We made a run in the third quarter when we had them on their heels a bit, but we fouled too much and sent Singletary to the line and kept us at bay and killed our momentum going into the fourth quarter," rued Alapag.
Needless to say, Alab has to turn the page in its roller-coaster ride this season. And it all should start on its fourth matchup against Mono this week.
"We’re gonna see these guys again in a few days, so we gotta be better," he said.
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