The 2021 PBA season is upon us, with a triple-header kicking off the Philippine Cup on Friday. How does each team stack up? Here's the fifth of our team-by-team previews, featuring the TNT Tropang Giga and Meralco Bolts.
TNT Tropang Giga
Additions: Head coach Chot Reyes, Mikey Williams (IR), Kelly Williams, Dave Marcelo, Glenn Khobuntin, Ping Exciminiano, Brian Heruela, Gryann Mendoza, Chris Javier
Subtractions: Coaching consultant Mark Dickel, Bobby Ray Parks, Jr., Harvey Carey, Simon Enciso, David Semerad, Samboy De Leon
Holdovers: Jayson Castro, Roger Pogoy, Poy Erram, Troy Rosario, Ryan Reyes, Jay Washington, Kib Montalbo, Jjay Alejandro
2020 record: 12-10; 7-4 in elimination round, 5-6 in playoffs (third seed; lost to Barangay Ginebra in Finals)
Key stat from 2020: 39 three-point attempts per game
Executing the offense of coaching consultant Mark Dickel, the Tropang Giga led the league in three-point attempts at 39 per game. However, those attempts did not translate to makes, as they were ninth of 12 teams in terms of accuracy at a paltry 30.2%.
Even so, they clearly embraced the three-point revolution with nearly half, or 46.9%, of their total tries coming from beyond the arc.
While that pace-and-space led them to the fourth-best offensive rating at 105.6, their attack also stagnated at times, disrupting their rhythm at both ends.
Due to their reliance on the three-pointer, the Tropang Giga only trooped to the line 20.9 times per game, the second-least in the league, and in terms of their ability to get there, they were dead last with a 25.1 free throw rate.
Expect some changes under what RR Pogoy described as the "bara-bara" (go-go) offense of comebacking coach Chot Reyes.
Player to watch: Mikey Williams
Mikey Williams will be tasked to do - or, at the very least, come close - what Ray Parks, Jr. did flawlessly in the 2020 Philippine Cup. Can he, indeed, become the third head in a guard Cerberus already featuring Pogoy and Jayson Castro?
On paper, Williams may very well do just that. His former coach in Mighty Sports, Charles Tiu, actually argued that he could turn out to be the best player in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory.
"Mikey is solid. He will be close to the level of (Stanley) Pringle," claimed Tiu. "He works hard, doesn't complain, and I like that he plays defense and takes care of his body well, too. He's a legit scoring point guard and a great shooter plus a solid defender. This guy was legit playing in the NBA G League and had great numbers even in the US NCAA. He will be a star."
With Williams not yet with the team as he completes mandatory quarantine, there remains much time for TNT to make room for the long-awaited debut of their fourth overall pick.
2021 outlook: The return of the most successful coach in franchise history has raised expectations for the arguably underperforming flagship team of the MVP group, but Reyes will be the first one to tell you to look away from high hopes.
"[It's not] because of a lack of talent, I think we have the talent here, but it's just the preparation and knowing each other because I'm a new coach coming in. We have five new players coming in as well and it's going to be an entirely new system," explained the eight-time champion coach in a previous interview. "The players have to get used to me and I have to get used to the players, the players have to get used to each other."
With many of the players already accustomed to the style of the former Gilas Pilipinas shot-caller and with Castro still at the wheel, however, expect TNT to remain a heavyweight contender hungrier than ever for another belt.
Meralco Bolts
Additions: Mac Belo, Alvin Pasaol, Nonoy Baclao (IR), Mike Cañete
Subtractions: Baser Amer, Bryan Faundo, Nico Salva
Holdovers: Chris Newsome, Cliff Hodge, Allein Maliksi, Raymond Almazan, Reynel Hugnatan, Bong Quinto, Aaron Black, Trevis Jackson, Raymar Jose, Anjo Caram, Jammer Jamito
2020 record: 11-7; 7-4 in elimination round, 4-3 in playoffs (fifth seed; lost to Barangay Ginebra in semifinals)
Key stat from 2020: 85.1 possessions per game
In the last season, the Bolts were middle of the pack in terms of offensive rating at 103.9, with much room to improve as they played at the slowest pace among all teams at 85.1. For context, the league average in pace, or the number of possessions generated by a team's playstyle, was 89.8.
After a lineup shakeup, the Bolts' pace may pick up this year, especially with the ascension of Chris Newsome as their full-time floor general and the entry of top rookie Alvin Pasaol, a well-regarded scoring machine who could open up the floor for his teammates.
Coach Norman Black admitted that his teams had been slower than he wanted them to be, and added that they are hard at work at finetuning their attack, with getting more possessions the first order of the day.
Player to watch: Chris Newsome
Baser Amer's exit signifies Meralco's faith in Newsome as a lead facilitator. After all, even though Amer had played point, it was the Fil-Am guard who was the Bolts' leading assist-man at 4.9 per game, good for fifth-best in the league.
Aside from his passing, Newsome was also a dependable scorer with 13.9 points on 42.1% shooting averages as well as a solid rebounder despite his size (5.7 rebounds).
The fact that the former Ateneo standout accounted for 24.6% of Meralco's field goals a season ago, no doubt, bodes well for the future of Black's rejiggered offense.
2021 outlook: Meralco had its most successful Philippine Cup campaign in franchise history in last year's "bubble," and was even on the brink of upsetting top-seed Ginebra in the deciding Game 5. If not for Scottie Thompson's heartbreaking, albeit surprising, late triple, it could have very well been the Bolts battling TNT for all the glory.
Coming off that morale-boosting campaign, they have improved their frontcourt with the addition of hefty swingman Pasaol and former top pick Mac Belo, the erstwhile Blackwater versatile forward.
Some concern remains regarding Pasaol who joined training late due to his commitments with Gilas Pilipinas 3x3, and Black has mentioned that the former UE star is a work in progress in terms of getting in shape.
Nonetheless, while Meralco may not be one of the clear-cut favorites to make a deep postseason run, expect their gritty brand of basketball to pose a challenge against the PBA's best. It's not farfetched to say they may be slaying some giants along the way.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Figures courtesy of Stats by Ryan on DribbleMedia.com