COACH Jeff Napa once likened PJ Palacielo to JR Quiñahan as part of National U’s own version of ‘Extra Rice Inc.’ together with Kenshin Padrones.
READ: 'Belga' back together with 'Quinahan' at National U
But in his latest outing, the Bulldogs' big showed off another side of his game.
In tallying 19 points, eight assists, two rebounds, and one steal in their wire-to-wire win against Adamson on Saturday, Palacielo was looking like NBA champion and MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
In particular, the 6-foot-6 center's eight assists put on full display that playmaking is now a big part of his arsenal.
“Sa practice naman, talagang ginagawa na namin yung ganun. Minsan, nagagalit nga si coach Jeff ‘pag ‘di ko pinapasa yung bola eh,” Palacielo shared with SPIN.ph.
“Siyempre, idol din yun,” he added as answer when asked about patterning his game after the Serbian superstar. "May time sa viewing na parang, sabi niya (coach Jeff) lahat daw nakikita ko, kumbaga parang Jokic."
Indeed, the Tanay, Rizal native has been working on reading the defense and finding his teammates, especially when opponents send help to stop his scoring.
“'Pag nado-double na ako, tini-triple na ako, talagang kailangan ko i-give up yung ball,” he said.
So when the Soaring Falcons did that, Palacielo just set up his teammates.
“Sobrang kalmado ng utak ko. Lahat ng actions, parang naging slow-mo sa akin. Nakikita ko sila, yung mga cut nila,” he said. “Siguro, 'pag kalmado lang ako mag-isip, talagang kaya kong gawin lahat.”
PJ power
With the coaches recognizing his improvements in passing, Palacielo acknowledges he has to keep delivering while making better decisions on the floor.
As he put it, “Kahit papaano, dahil may nagsasabi na magaling ako pumasa, kailangan ko panindigan yun.”
The Quiñahan comparison spoke to the well-rounded big's role in the Bulldogs’ frontcourt, but his growing basketball IQ, court vision, and playmaking touch is giving Napa and his staff much more to work with.
And with Jokic serving as blueprint, Palacielo is looking to prove he can do damage not only when posting up himself, but also when setting up his teammates.
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