DEON Thompson has put himself in the conversation for the Best Import award after leading Rain or Shine to the semifinals of the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup.
Thompson finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and three blocks in the 112-103 Game 3 win over Converge that took him to the Final Four with Justin Brownlee of Barangay Ginebra, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of TNT, and Kadeem Jack of NorthPort - imports who hugged most of the attention this conference.
“My appreciation to the effort of Deon,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao. “I think among all the imports, he’s been the most underrated. Lowest scoring import probably, but he had his best game (in Game 3).”
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“Just three assists short of a triple double. Not only that, he did it on the defensive side. He’s not been really noticed. But for us in the team, we know what he means. I believe he is a big part of the success that we have right now,” said Guiao.
Thompson fouled out early in the third quarter of Game One and felt he left the team down as the Elasto Painters went down, 130-118.
Thompson said the controversial departure from Game One made the semifinal appearance more gratifying. He stayed on the floor until the final buzzer for the remainder of the series and averaged 31 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists.
“It felt good for me especially after Game One, which was very difficult for me to go home that night, knowing that I kind of left my team out there. I felt like some of those calls were not in my control, but that’s still part of the game.”
“So to come back in Game 2 to help my team win there and then help my team win (in Game 3), it feels really good,” said Thompson.
Team effort
Thompson said it took a collective effort for Rain or Shine to advance to the semifinals.
“And then, my teammates, they’re really good. I think that’s something that is not about me. I think I went to the bench, then Beau (Belga) hits two big threes, and then Adrian (Nocum) is incredible in transition, and Andrei (Caracut) and Caelan (Tiongson) battled. Keith (Datu) played well. It’s a collective team.”
“It’s not just about one person. When you look at the top teams around this league, the Ginebras, the Meralcos, it’s not just JB (Brownlee) or Akil (Mitchell). It’s the collective team that’s why they’re good. And I think that’s something that we have here as well,” said Thompson.
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