MAVERICK Ahanmisi sure is quick to find his place in the Barangay Ginebra system.
The 32-year-old guard collected 16 points, three boards, and two assists as the Gin Kings took its fifth consecutive win at the expense of NorthPort, 106-93, to book their place in the PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals.
READ Why Maverick Ahanmisi settled for third-choice jersey No. 00 at Ginebra
Four months since he joined the league's most popular team as an unrestricted free agent, Mav bared he has established a good working dynamic within the team, crediting the ‘pressure’ he feels as his biggest push.
“Ginebra has a winning culture, and it comes with a lot of pressure playing with this team,” Ahanmisi told SPIN.ph. “But the pressure is good and it’s kind of like a privilege to have it. I like it.”
For the high-scoring guard, he got closer than ever to what could be his first PBA championship, just by being part of this team.
“In other teams, there’s not much pressure. You make it to the playoffs, it’s already a big deal," he said. "But here, the only goal is to get the championship, which I haven’t had since I was a rookie, that’s why I’m excited to try to get this one.”
While green means go for Mav, he also admitted that he’s still working on mastering coach Tim Cone’s offense.
“Coach Tim’s triangle offense was the most challenging for me, other than that, guys have been helping me out a lot. I think I finally found my niche where I can help the team, to be fair,” he said.
Ahanmisi's mentor
Tasked to fill in initially for veteran LA Tenorio, Ahanmisi shared El Tinyente himself made the transition much easier for him.
He said: “LA’s been my roommate twice already, the biggest advice he’s given me is play how you play. Don’t think too much cause that’s how you make mistakes. Slow the game down, use your head, you want to play fast but not out of control.”
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