EVEN in the mind of TNT, Mikey Williams was the player they believed would be the number one pick in the draft for the 2021 PBA season.
TNT assistant coach Josh Reyes said the sentiment of the team was that Williams would be the top choice of the draft even before his impressive first conference in the league that saw him win the Finals MVP at the end of the 2021 Philippine Cup.
Mikey Williams as No. 1 pick?
Reyes’ remarks was consistent with what Meralco assistant coach Charles Tiu echoed in an interview with SPIN.ph’s Gerry Ramos that Williams should have been the number one choice in the PBA Season 46 draft.
“Actually, on our draft board, Mikey was number one,” said Reyes during the TOPS forum, when asked about Tiu’s statement.
Williams made a big splash in the Philippine Cup where he helped TNT break a six-year title drought after averages of 18.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists during the conference. He was named the Finals MVP and is now on top of the statistical race for the season MVP in just his rookie season.
The 30-year-old Williams is looking to duplicate Benjie Paras' feat in 1989 as the first and only rookie to win an MVP.
Reyes said TNT was certain Williams would be the top pick based on what they saw in him when he was with the Canton Charge in the NBA G League as well as in the Asean Basketball League.
“We know his capabilities. We know his talents. We know what he can do if in the right situation,” said Reyes.
Fortunately for TNT, Williams fell to fourth when it was the team’s turn to pick after Joshua Munzon, Jaime Malonzo, and Calvin Oftana were selected by Terrafirma, NorthPort, and NLEX respectively. Reyes said Williams fit perfectly for the ballclub as the possible heir apparent to Jayson Castro.
Reyes also said Williams was able to fit to the TNT system immediately, allowing them to stay consistent throughout the conference.
“No disrespect to Munzon, Malonzo, and Oftana, they are all talented players. But with the need of our team, especially someone who Jayson can pass the torch to, it’s really Mikey who fit the number one pressing need of our team. On our draft board, we really had Mikey at number one,” said Reyes.
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