IT’S a new breed of Barangay Ginebra players that its legion of fans are seeing nowadays.
This new generation of Kings are young, fast, athletic, and thrives on the transition - a big departure from the era of deliberate plays and blue-collar players the popular team became known for in the past.
The entry of high-flyers Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray have changed the dynamics of the Kings and the new era was in full display when they whipped the previously undefeated Bay Area Dragons, 111-93.
[READ: Gray shows glimpse of great athleticism despite minutes restriction]
Ironically, both players were the No. 2 picks in each of the league’s last two rookie drafts.
Coach Tim Cone was quick to point out the transition period for the league’s long-time darlings.
“This is basically the new Ginebra in many ways. Jamie and Jeremiah, they have a lot of athleticism to what we do and I think they’re gonna be real fun for games as we go forward,” said the champion coach.
Malonzo certainly perked up the crowd at the Philsports Arena early on after converting a two-handed slam off a fastbreak to set the tone for the Kings. He finished with 17 points behind a 54 percent shooting and added six rebounds.
“We love the athleticism and I think that kind of thrilled the crowd seeing Jamie do some of the stuff he does,” said Cone. “They used to see Japeth [Aguilar] do it, but now they got another guy to do it.”
Due to minutes restriction, Gray only played for 10 minutes, but already showed exactly what he brings to the table once fully healthy coming off from an ACL surgery.
Gray, 25, had five points and three rebounds in his PBA debut.
But certainly, it’s only the beginning and Cone could only imagine what lies ahead once Malonzo and Gray finally settle down at Ginebra.
“They’re still learning about us, they’re still learning about their teammates, they’re still learning about the system, so we expect them to get better,” he said. “This is kind of a glimpse of how we can be if we’re on top of our game.”
Indeed, that’s scary for the rest of the field.
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