ASI Taulava took on a lot of big men in his 21 years in the PBA, but the one player who he considers the toughest to defend is someone from his younger days.
His name? Dennis Espino.
Espino played for 16 years in the pro league, most notably with Sta. Lucia where he became the franchise player after he was drafted by the Realtors first overall in the 1995 rookie draft.
Although he is not part of the league’s greatest players in history, Espino left an indelible mark on everyone he played against including Taulava, who entered the league in 1999 having to defend the Sta. Lucia big man most of the time.
“Before Kerby Raymundo, it would have to be Dennis Espino,” said the 47-year-old Taulava when asked about his opinion on the toughest player to defend during a recent coaching webinar by Hoop Coaches International.
The 6-foot-6 Espino wasn’t exactly among fittest players during his time, but he was so skilled that he got a spot in the 1998 Centennial Team.
A member of the University of Santo Tomas championship teams in the UAAP during the 1990s, Espino also won the Finals MVP twice in both the Realtors’ championship runs in the PBA in the 2001 Governors’ Cup and the 2007-08 Philippine Cup.
Taulava said Espino was a complete package offensively during his prime, citing the former Realtors star's post-up moves as well as a decent midrange game.
“Dennis Espino is very crafty, skilled, has a jump shot, has footwork. The thing is he is so deceiving that he can just get away with it. You think you have him defended but he will find a way to get his shots off,” he said.
“At the same time, Dennis’ lower body was very strong. He was very hard to guard. Dennis can just punish you taking his time off the ball,” said Taulava.
Taulava said Espino’s consistency from the free-throw line makes it even more difficult to guard him on the post, leaving defenders in a pick-your-poison situation.
“Before Fiba rule, PBA style, it was sort of like the NBA where you have to guard guys one-on-one off the block. What’s crazy about Dennis is you have a hard time match up, trying to guard him, and at the same time, he was an exceptional free throw shooter. You pay the price.”
“Try to guard him one-on-one, make those moves, or you foul him, he goes to the free throw line and it’s pretty much automatic,” said Taulava.
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