JUSTIN Arana admitted that adjusting to the first few games in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup has been tough, as he shares the same position as Converge’s reinforcement Kylor Kelley.
In and out of the starting line-up with his minutes also fluctuating, Arana understood his situation and focused on what he can control, himself.
That was evident as he dropped 19 points on 9-11 shooting after playing more than 25 minutes in the FiberXers’ long-overdue victory over the Titan Ultra Giant Risers, 103-82, Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
READ: Converge finally snaps out of five-game slump by drubbing Titan
“Nung mga first few games talagang nabibigyan lang ako mga 17-18 minutes,” Arana said. “Pero kahit anong minutes yung bigay sakin, ibibigay ko lang yung best ko, yung 100 percent ko. Iniisip ko lang na kailangan ko makatulong sa team sa kahit na anong positive way.”
Having played in six of Converge’s seven games so far, Arana’s production is certainly correlated with his minutes.
In the three games he played 20 minutes or less, Arana posted measly averages of nine points per game. That number rises the moment he gets his burn time or plays 24 minutes or more, averaging 17 points on an ultra-efficient 61.5 percent clip from the floor.
The good news for him is that his minutes are on the uptick now, having also played more than 24 minutes in the loss to Rain or Shine the last time out, where he finished with 16 points on 8-12 shooting.
Getting more burn time now while his team finally gets healthy, the next priority for Arana now is finding chemistry with the fit-again Calvin Abueva.
“Yung chemistry namin pinagttrabahuhan pa namin yan. Di pa namin makukuha yan ng madalian, kailangan pa namin maglaro ng mas matagal and magkakasama para mabuo namin yung chemistry namin,” Arana admitted while expressing confidence that they’re onto better things soon.
“Positive naman dito ay papunta na kami sa gusto naming marating.”
They have to find that chemistry quickly, though, as with a 2-5 slate, they’re still at 10th place with five games remaining in the elimination round.
Only the top eight teams will make the cut, and the sense of urgency isn’t lost on Arana with a tough stretch ahead starting with Magnolia this Sunday at the same venue, and TNT next Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“One game at a time lang. After this prepare na agad for Magnolia. Hindi kami pwede mag-madali dahil hinahabol namin yung playoffs,” Arana said.
“Kailangan namin mag-laro as a team at mag-bonding, crucial yun para mabasa namin ang isa’t isa.”
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