TAB Baldwin apparently has seen something in Tzaddy Rangel that not a lot of people has seen in the former National University big man to include him among the Gilas Pilipinas picks in the last PBA Rookie Draft.
So far, the 6-foot-6 Rangel is slowly living up to the promise.
“I think Tzaddy Rangel was probably the bolter of the group, the one that surprised a lot of people,” Baldwin said during a Zoom In on SPIN.ph episose. “But my impressions on Tzaddy go back several years when he was playing with NU and I saw a bigger kid, playing with a lot of energy, and didn’t get many opportunities.”
Rangel was one of the four players selected in the Gilas draft, with NLEX gaining his signing rights after getting him at No. 3. He is joined by Jordan Heading, Will Navarro, and Jaydee Tungcab as new additions to the Gilas pool.
Before being picked in the Gilas pool, Rangel played limited minutes for the Bulldogs as well as with San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the Asean Basketball League.
But after months of build-up, Baldwin said he has seen marked improvement in Rangel's game over the course of Gilas’ training at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna, especially in his offensive game.
“I know that we need big kids in this program. Tzaddy has a long way to go in terms of developing but I think even after the last two bubbles, anybody that sees him play now will see a guy who is radically different,” said Baldwin.
“He’s been a guy that has really picked up the scoring cudgels in the bubbles. We were talking among us coaches. He would probably be among the top six or seven scorers in the bubble in all of our scrimmages. He has good hands around the basket. He is smart. He rolls hard. He finishes well around the basket,” he added.
The Gilas program director, however, cautioned Rangel still has a long way to go in terms of becoming a complete player.
“But again, in terms of a 6-6 guy being able to compete, he has to do a lot of development in his perimeter game," he said. "He is still a ways off but unquestionably, we are certainly developing a kid who is going to be a good professional player."
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