IN only his fourth practice session with the team, Matt Nieto is already getting so accustomed to the system of NLEX that coach Yeng Guiao feels he'll be ready to go for his PBA debut on Friday.
Guiao revealed he is pleasantly surprised with how smoothly the Gilas Pilipinas guard has adjusted to the Road Warriors in such a short time after deciding to join his mother team in the PBA at the end of his Gilas Pilipinas contract.
Guiao said Nieto has already been activated into the active roster and eligible to play for Friday’s contest against Meralco in the PBA Governors' Cup restart.
“Ang bilis ng assimilation niya. Mabilis siyang makakuha ng mga plays namin. You know he is a high IQ player,” said Guiao in an appearance at the SPIN Zoom In on Thursday.
Guiao admitted he was expecting that the transition period could be longer for Nieto since he only joined the team a few days ago.
“It’s only on his fourth day today and then bukas, sasalang na siya. Actually, ang inisip ko nung una, mga dalawa, tatlong linggo siguro ito kailangang mag-ensayo bago mai-line-up. Hindi ito puwede agad isalpak sa team. Mangangailangan ng transition period. Pero after four days, tingin ko puwede na eh,” said Guiao.
Three-year deal
Nieto signed a three-year deal with the team that selected him during the 2019 special draft. The former Ateneo guard was on loan to Gilas Pilipinas, but opted not to re-sign with the national team program when his contract expired.
“Tingin ko magagamit siya. Of course, I’m not guaranteeing that but I think he is going to be very useful against Meralco tomorrow kasi grabe pumressure defense ‘yung Meralco and this guy is used to that and he is able to play against the pressure. He is going to be very useful for us not only against Meralco but the whole of the time that he will stay with our team,” said Guiao.
Guiao said Nieto has the qualities of becoming an excellent leader in the team, while also providing intangibles that NLEX will need in their title bid.
“Very steady influence inside the court. You know he is a leader. Ang leadership kasi, you have to earn that. You don’t automatically come in to a team and then claim leadership. I-earn muna ‘yan. But I think he is on his way to doing that,” said Guiao.
“We know he is not a heavy scorer. But he can score. We also know that he is not as athletic as the other guards. But we know his high IQ. We know he can lead the team. We know that he is a systems player.
"We know that he contributes a lot of things that you can’t see in the stats sheet. He is a locker room player. He has proven that with Gilas and Ateneo. The first few days that I’ve seen him, [I know] he is going to prove that with our team,” he added.
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