BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone said Scottie Thompson is not a lock for the PBA season MVP award despite the accolades he captured this conference.
But there is no doubt in the mind of Cone about Thompson's value to Ginebra as well as the qualities that make him deserving of the PBA's highest individual honor.
“I think it’s going to be hard to deny [that] there’s a lot of deserving guys out there and this is the one, Scottie is the freshest in our minds right now and he has just been beyond spectacular. That’s what MVPs so,” said Cone.
Thompson put himself in contention for the MVP award following a Governors’ Cup where he took the Best Player of the Conference and the Finals MVP in Barangay Ginebra’s run to the championship.
The Barangay Ginebra guard is expected to be a strong candidate alongside the likes of Philippine Cup Finals MVP Mikey Williams, Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference Calvin Abueva, and Robert Bolick.
Thompson averaged 14.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.1 steals during the Governors’ Cup that ended with Ginebra beating Meralco in Game Six, 103-92, on Friday behind more than 20,000 spectators at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The former Perpetual Help star had a decent Philippine Cup campaign, with averages of 12.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks, but didn’t play in the last three games due to health and safety protocols.
“To me, he has been so valuable for us because of all the things that he does. He is totally a complete player in terms of what he does on the floor and what he does off the floor. He is a tremendous teammate. He is so easy to coach,” said Cone.
“Again, he has been so incredibly valuable to us and I think that’s the definition of an MVP, how valuable he is to the team. His value is unquestionable,” said Cone.
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