WHEN Calvin Oftana checked in for the first time as a PBA player with 2:33 left in the first quarter against Rain or Shine last July 16, he was mostly a spectator that did not record a single stat for NLEX until the end of the period.
Perhaps sensing the need to get something on the board, Oftana pressed and hunted for his shot to begin the second frame, where the first four possessions of the Road Warriors ran through the third overall pick of the recent rookie draft.
Oftana possesses the qualities of a future star, but he looked every bit the freshman that he was in three of those sequences, tallying an airball, a front rim miss, and an offensive foul. A free throw for his first point as a pro ended up being his saving grace:
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That set the tone for an inauspicious start to Oftana's pro career, as he finished with only one point and missed all five of his field goal attempts, though he did log four rebounds, two assists, and a block in 14 minutes.
"Sa sobrang excited ko, nawala ako sa laro. Gigil at hinahanap ko first basket ko at medyo nawala na sa focus kasi pinipilit ko mga tira," he remarked.
The game eventually slowed down for Oftana, who put together a string of decent games later in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup — especially after receiving more minutes following top gun Kiefer Ravena's departure to Japan. His performances were still a little uneven, but he was relatively efficient and felt a tad more loose offensively, and he was slightly more careful with the rock in more playing time:

His last three games (all against Meralco) offered a slight glimpse at the ideal future version of the go-to guy that head coach Yeng Guiao says NLEX is trying to mold. During that stretch, Oftana averaged 20 points on 50/45.8/100 splits (64.9 TS% or true shooting percentage), 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 steals, and 2.7 turnovers in 32 minutes, including a gem of a performance last September 22 where he fired 34 points and eight triples to lead a comeback that just fell short.
"I needed to pick it up," Oftana shared. "Sinabi lang ng coaches na, 'Let the game come to you.' Tsaka 'yung pasensya na rin nila sa'kin to pick my game up."
There was never any real doubt over Oftana's potential to eventually emerge as one of the league's best players. One question is worth asking, though: What kind of approach is he taking when it comes to his growth?
"Everyday akong kumakayod," he shared. "After ng first conference, binigyan kami ng coaches namin ng mga clips, kung ano lapses and kung ano ang tamang gawin. So siguro mas bibilis ang growth ng basketball career ko if maitama ko 'yung mga maling decision ko sa games.
"We really worked on my weaknesses. We did more skill work to improve my overall game. More on dribbling, shooting, and decision-making," Oftana added.
Oftana carries incredible allure as a future two-way star, but right now he's better on offense than he is on the other end of the floor. His shooting stroke, despite being a bit inconsistent right now, gets all the attention, but the rest of the package is just as important.
The former San Beda star isn't timid when it comes to creating with the ball in his hands and has found a certain level of ease getting to the rack, especially in dribble handoffs. Oftana still has to tighten his handles and improve his overall finishing around the rim, but so far his sheer length has made up for the lack of complete polish:
Oftana looked stiff and predictable at times early in the conference, but he has since displayed the ability to switch up the pace on the fly, shifting through gears and exercising more patience in the hope of finding a cleaner opening:
"Na-develop 'yung confidence ko and I became comfortable because of the trust na pinakita sa 'kin ng coaches and teammates ko. That's compared to when I entered the PBA na nangangapa pa ako on how to adjust to the system and how to learn the flow of games in the pro," Oftana described.
He's not an advanced passer, but he makes good reads simply because he towers over most guys:
But Oftana can do better in terms of leveraging that size during mismatches, as he wasn't exactly assertive when he found himself against a smaller defender in the post:
When it comes to his defense, Oftana gave a pretty blunt and concise assessment. "Nahihirapan ako sa individual defense and sa ball-screen defense. 'Yun 'yung mga bagay na kailangan kong i-improve."
His margin for error on defense is large simply because his wingspan covers up a lot of his shortcomings. Oftana's switchy and has been solid in isolation against guards, and he's also had his moments as a weakside defender. (His 1.2 blocks per 36 minutes ranked 16th in the league and third among rookies last conference.)
But like most rookies, Oftana had problems when it comes to reading defensive schemes and frequently blew rotations:
His navigation on screens left a lot to be desired, to say the least, as Oftana often took the long route or got wiped out of the play completely:
But here's the best thing about Oftana: At 25, he has a ton of room to grow and a lot of time to build great habits. All of his flaws can also be corrected through experience and repetition, which means all he has to do is put in the work.
And for those rooting for Oftana, you'd be pleased to know he's done just that — focusing on the finer details, chipping away at the imperfections while sharpening all the other things that work — just so he can meet the expectations over his outsized potential.
Don't expect the results to come in heaps, though, as the gains will be incremental. Oftana will have to continue earning his stripes while deferring to more established vets, like he did in NLEX's Governors' Cup opening win against San Miguel on Wednesday. He was quiet in 21 minutes and posted just seven points (3-for-3 shooting), six rebounds, and an assist, but he was sound and effective in the few times that he was involved on offense and defense:
Oftana, for his part, is just willing to take it a step at the time.
"Sabi nila andiyan na 'yung pressure, so kailangan mo lang alamin paano i-handle ito," he expressed." Marami pa akong bigas bago siguro mangyari 'yung [maging go-to guy ako], pero I will work harder to be in that position. Who knows, 'di ba? Wala namang imposible kapag pinagtrabauhan mo lang talaga."
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