IS Terrence Jones putting himself in the same conversation as the finest imports of the past with his scoring ways?
Jones got once again scored 40 or more points for the fourth time in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup for TNT when he lit up for 49 points in the KaTropa’s 104-91 win over Meralco at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Jones has been making a name for himself with his scoring. But is Jones comparable to the imports in the earlier days of the PBA where they put up big numbers on the scoreboard?
When asked if he has seen anything like what Jones did on Saturday, Meralco coach Norman Black said: “I’ve seen imports go 100 points here in the Philippines so malayo.”
Black, who averaged 51.8 points in his first season in the PBA in 1981 said: “But he was really good tonight. He has the talent and he is good.”
Jones dominated Friday’s game against the Bolts. He shot 16 of 30 from the field including a 7 of 11 clip from threes. He also grabbed 18 rebounds in his career night in scoring in the PBA.
Black said Jones has been showing his pedigree with his all-around game with his stint with TNT in the Commissioner’s Cup.
“He is probably the best import right now. And he should be. He has not just done it in the Philippines. He has done it in the NBA so you know he is really a good player,” said Black.
Black said Meralco’s new import Jimmie Lee Taylor was unable to contain Jones.
“It was a pretty bad match-up with the imports tonight. Terrence Jones pretty much dominated the game and my import was unable to come close to his type of production. That’s from the imports stand. The import match-up alone is something a little bit of a disadvantage tonight. They also shot the ball well in the perimeter. A lot of that was coming off the help defense against the import,” said Black.
Black admitted the team is reevaluating the team’s import situation. Gani Lawal is currently on the injured/reserve list.
“It’s hard for my local players to make up that difference. We have to reevaluate the import situation and see what happens,” said Black.
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