LIKE a good soldier, there’s no bitter word in Paul Lee’s vocabulary despite his obviously shrinking playing time and touches in Season 50 of the PBA.
The veteran guard said he respects the decision of coach LA Tenorio and supports the direction he envisions for the Magnolia franchise even if it meant departing from the major role he previously played for the Hotshots.
“From the start, buy -in talaga ako sa kung ano 'yung gusting mangyari ni coach LA. Ako yung pinaka-least na tao na iisipin niya pagdating sa ganyan,” said Lee.
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On Tuesday though, Lee finally got to play extended minutes in the team’s 85-70 win over Terrafirma in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The 37-year-old Lee tallied eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and four steals in 22 minutes of play and finished the game on the floor as the Hotshots posted their second straight win for a 2-3 record.
The numbers are a slight increase in his conference averages of 4.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while playing 13 minutes per game.
His figures are actually on a decline this season when Tenorio took over the coaching reins for Magnolia. During the Philippine Cup, he posted averages of 5.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 17.3 minutes per outing.
That’s about half of what he averaged last year as per the numbers provided by PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III – 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a playing time of 25.01 per minutes.
But Lee is not stats-conscious and accepts whatever role he’s been asked to do.
“I never questioned lahat ng mga naging coaches ko. I never questioned yung mga desisyon nila pagdating sa ganyan. If I didn’t play today, wala kayong maririnig sa akin,” he said.
“I always trust kung anuman yung plano mo or kung anuman yung plano ng mga coaches namin. I think yung ganun bagay malaki yun especially kay coach LA dahil bagong coach siya.”
And of course it helps too, that he was once teammate with his current coach during their time together at Gilas Pilipinas.
“Nung dumating siya sa team namin, nagkaron kami ng one-on-one talk. Kinausap niya ako. Sinabi niya yung plano sa akin and talagang naintindihan ko,” said Lee. “Kaya 'yun nga ang sabi ko, 'Sunod lang ako kung ano gusto mong mangyari."
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