RILEY Grigsby isn’t here to be like Justin Brownlee. He is at Barangay Ginebra to be his own man, do his own thing, and help his new team succeed in the PBA 50th Season Governors’ Cup.
Grigsby had a lot of Barangay Ginebra fans’ eyes on him as he takes over the spot of resident import Brownlee, who sits out, at least for the time being, to recover from the multiple injuries that have been bothering him for quite some time now.
READ Grigsby double-double in vain as Phoenix ruins Ginebra debut
Grigsby is aware of the situation at Ginebra, and he looks forward to making the most out of the opportunity. The import also knows he has big shoes to fill.
“I knew what I was coming into,” Grigsby said. “I knew people I played for in the past, and they told me this is a historic organization. Obviously, you had Justin here, and I knew I was coming in to replace him.
“It was just basketball at the end of the day. I just had to come in and play my game. That’s what I tried to do,” he said.
The 26-year-old Grigsby produced 42 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks in his debut, but the Gin Kings lost to Phoenix Super LPG, 81-78, in the team’s first game since Brownlee and Co. won the Commissioner’s Cup title last June.
Grigsby got little support as no one from the local crew scored in double digits with Scottie Thompson also out for the game due to a hamstring injury.
Grigsby said that despite his outstanding debut, he still needs improvement.
“I just came out trying to be aggressive, trying to help the team do whatever they could to win. Obviously, I had 42 points but we need to do a better job on the defensive end. I can score the ball, but I need a lot of things to do better on defense.
“We dug ourselves a hole in the first half, but we just took it one play at a time. We got back into the game, thankfully, but one shot away,” Grigsby said.
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