MORE than his offense, Baser Amer’s defense has been another reason for his superb form for Meralco in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Amer scored 26 points for the Bolts in their 111-94 win over Phoenix Pulse on Sunday, just two days after the former San Beda star guard had 27 points and six three-pointers in another victory over Alaska.
Meralco coach Norman Black is happy with the sharp offensive form of his starting guard.
“That feels good to be quite honest with you to see Baser have back-to-back great games offensively,” said Black. “He shoots the ball like that, it gives us a much better chance of winning.”
Black pointed out Amer’s defense has also improved immensely and it showed on Sunday when he had four steals in the ballgame.
“What hasn’t been known is probably the fact that his defense has been solid this conference and he has been defending very well. He’s playing on both ends of the court. A lot of times, you need somebody to step up and take over for our team. The last couple of games, it has been Baser Amer,” said Black.
Amer said he is making an effort to be a two-way player this conference.
“Dinamihan ko lang attempts ko at naging aggressive lang ako sa offense at defense nung offseason. Talagang tinrabaho ko ‘yung defense at offense ko. Gusto ko maging two-way player," Amer said.
"Kaya ko dumepensa, kaya ko umopensa. The last four games namin, okay naman ‘yung offense at defense ko. Lagi ako mine-mention ni coach Norman na nag-improve ‘yung defense,” he added.
Amer said he will continue to work on his individual game particularly on offense in order for the Bolts to have a chance against powerhouse teams such as the likes of Grand Slam seeking San Miguel.