ASIDE from stamping his mark in rebounding and being a facilitator, Scottie Thompson has also increased his scoring output as his career continues to progress with Barangay Ginebra.
Scottie Thompson offensive improvement
From averaging only 7.1 points per game during the 2019 Governors’ Cup, Thompson has doubled that to 14.6 a contest after Game Five of the 2021-2022 Governors’ Cup finals.
The Best Player of the Conference has been wowing the crowd more for his rebounding rather than his scoring. But that changed in the past two games of the finals - with everyone beginning to take notice of his improved offense.
Just a few hours after being crowned as the BPC, Thompson grabbed four rebounds in Game Four, one of the fewest he had during the conference, but scored a conference-high 27 points in the win over Meralco.
The rebounding and scoring came together in Game Five where Thompson grabbed an offensive rebound over Tony Bishop in a critical moment of the match that led to a triple that put Ginebra ahead, 105-97. He finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists in a game that enabled the Gins to grab a 3-2 series lead.
Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone said Thompson always had that scoring ability, but an adjustment during the resumption of the conference took that skill to a whole new level.
“About when we came back from the break, we told Scottie that he was going to be the primary ball handler. We want to move LA more off the ball, and save LA’s legs a little bit more and use his shooting ability. We really asked Scottie to come in and be more of a ball handler, more of an initiator, and more of a creator in the team,” said Cone.
Thompson took the role change with open arms and flourished with it. The increased in scoring led to added touches and more shots, averaging 11.3 field goal attempts through Game Five this conference, compared to 5.9 two years ago during the Governors’ Cup that year.
“I think maybe the first couple of games, he struggled a little bit. But after the second or third game, he started to take hold of it and he has never looked back. I think it comes down to he is getting more opportunities to do the things he does offensively. He is getting more opportunities by handling the ball, been able to play off ball screens. He was the guy who often times sitting in the corner while LA was doing his thing. We kinda reversed it so Scottie can do it.”
“I think it’s an opportunity for Scottie. He has really taken the ball and has gone with it. Amazing progression to watch over the years,” said Cone.
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