CHICAGO - The Converge FiberXers had lofty hopes for Alec Stockton to be a core piece of the team's attempted ascent towards perennial title contender status in the PBA.
And rightly so.
With a wiry but strong 170 pounds crammed inside his slender 6-foot-2 frame, Stockton is an agile defender who carved a niche in the UAAP as a a "stopper" during his days with the FEU Tamaraws.
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After being picked 21st overall in the 2021 PBA Rookie Draft, the Fil-Am from LA has since progressed into a well-rounded scorer with deft handles, a sharp pull-up jumper and dangerous range from 3.
Through 11 games in the ongoing Season 50 Philippine Cup, Stockton has decent numbers - 14.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per while shooting 41.5 percent from 3 and 30 percent from the field overall (56-of-140).
JEKYLL AND HYDE.
Unfortunately, Stockton has been mired in inconsistency of late, a malfunction that has brought chaos to the team.
After a solid start, Converge dropped two of its last three assignments to fall to a 7-4 won-lost record and ended up as a No.4 seed and will face dangerous Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals.
In those fateful three games, Stockton managed just a combined 22 points on 8-of-26 shooting (30 percent) from the field including a 2-for-11 clip from three-point distance (18.1 percent).
Uneven performances are par for the course in the world of sports but the FiberXers, I am told, have grown increasingly frustrated with the gulf that divides Stockton's brilliant outings from his overwhelming efforts.
Production-wise, his game can quickly rise to the top like cream on coffee, but sadly, it can also dip hastily like a falling star.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE
Attempts to reach Stockton as of posting time were unsuccessful. But sources bared the frustration is building up in the Converge war room.
"It's so frustrating, when he's good, he's really good. But when he's bad, he's awful bad," a team source who requested anonymity, told me.
In other words, while Converge aspires for stability from the 27-year old guard, what they're getting instead is a roller-coaster ride.
Which makes his days with the FiberXers potentially numbered if the team has an early exit despite a roster leaking with so much talent. .
Moving Stockton could work both ways. It allows him to spread his wings as a starter elsewhere while allowing Converge to ease the glut at the guards position.
How the Ginebra-Converge series plays out and which version of Stockton shows up in that stage will determine the direction both sides will go moving forward.
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