Arvin Tolentino's confidence never wavers.
Say whatever you want about the politics or the logistics of a multi-team trade that saw him and Jamie Malonzo swap places in Barangay Ginebra -- Tolentino won't have any of it.
In the eyes of the 26-year-old forward, being shipped from his dream squad to NorthPort Batang Pier only meant that there was a demand for his services.
"Na-trade ako dahil gusto ako nina coach Pido [Jarencio] at ng NorthPort," Tolentino said earlier this month following an impressive debut in a Batang Pier win over Phoenix Super LPG. "I will prove to them na hindi sila nagkamali. 'Yun 'yung mentality na nilalagay ko.
"I understand that it's part of being a pro. 'Yun lang iniisip ko. Iilan lang naman ang hindi nata-trade sa career nila eh," Tolentino added. "I don't want to think na ayaw sa'kin ng Ginebra. Syempre, Jamie Malonzo 'yun. I mean, he's a great player."
The maturity in Tolentino's statements appears to have carried over to his play across two games with NorthPort -- performances so impressive that they earned him a unanimous vote for the first PBA Press Corps Player of the Week award of the 2022-23 Commissioner's Cup.
Against Phoenix and guest team Bay Area Dragons, Tolentino scattered 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks in over 38 minutes per game. The former FEU Tamaraws star has also hit 45.8% of all his field goals, 46.7% of his 3s, and 90% of his free throws for a gaudy 66.9 true shooting percentage.
The numbers look unusually tremendous, but the tangible impact isn't exactly a surprising development if you have been paying attention. Tolentino has actually been playing winning basketball for quite some time now -- he just hasn't played this much in this big of a role.
Take the previous Philippine Cup as a primary example.
Per Stats by Ryan, Ginebra beat teams by 18.4 points per 48 minutes whenever he was on the floor (tops among all players) and lost by 5.7 points when he sat -- a swing of 24.1 points that was second only to TNT's Jayson Castro, and undeniable proof that Tolentino affected winning.
In a lot of ways, Tolentino is still pretty much the same player. Per InStat, he still sources most of his offense from catch-and-shoot and transition opportunities, with insane efficiency being the only outlying difference.
He's also still shooting tremendously from the right wing, which appears to be his favorite spot on the floor; after hitting 37% of his treys from that spot last conference, he's up to 56% through just two contests.
Even when his shot elsewhere was not falling, Tolentino still registered as an above average scorer (53.8 TS%) thanks to his affinity for getting to the rack with ease.
At the PBA, the 6-foot-5 gunner is essentially a mismatch -- too quick and mobile for like-sized (or bigger) defenders to contain once he leverages his ability to put the ball down on the floor, and too big for smaller guys to check.
Last conference, he shot a staggering 69% at the restricted area; that's down 57% early this conference, but he's been getting a ton of contact on his forays to the paint, which has then resulted in more free throw opportunities -- the easiest, most efficient way to get points on the board.
After attempting just 12 free throws across eight games last conference, he's already shot ten in two outings with NorthPort.
The spike in his free-throw rate roots from a tweak in usage. With the Batang Pier, Tolentino has been involved in way less handoffs but has seen a larger share of his offense come via drives, as he has been more assertive attacking off the catch once defenses close out on him.
It's not incidental. In a new environment in NorthPort, Tolentino says the plan is to showcase an expanded repertoire as the days pass.
"That's been my goal since the start ng career ko sa PBA. Ayoko maging one-dimensional player na catch-and-shoot lang tapos kapag wala ['yung shot], wala na. Ang goal ko talaga is every conference, every year nag-i-improve, absorbing everything, especially sa IQ, sa knowledge about the game," Tolentino expressed.
"Sakto napunta ako rito sa NorthPort -- may chance ako to expand talaga, to really improve and use 'yung mga winork ko through the years," he added.
Look for Tolentino to refine more facets of his game.
He's vastly improved his activity and instincts on defense -- for the year, opponents are shooting a mere 31.4% with Tolentino as the primary defender -- but he's bound to get tested more on a NorthPort team that lacks an anchor big man like Japeth Aguilar to clean up his mistakes like when he was in Ginebra.
The passing should also come along at some point; as a score-first forward, opportunities to create for others will open up as he continues to progress.
Being traded away by his favorite team stung for a little bit, but Tolentino seems keen on building toward the future. A brighter future awaits, after all.
"Syempre, nanghihinayang ako kasi Ginebra was my favorite team growing up. To be honest, until now, fan pa rin ako ng Ginebra. 'Yun 'yung best years of my basketball career -- playing with my favorite team, playing in front of millions of fans, under arguably the best coach in the Philippines ever (in Tim Cone)," he said.
"(But) ang goal ko ngayon is higitan 'yung last conference ko dito with NorthPort," Tolentino furthered.
"I won't stop working on expanding my game, improving my strengths and weaknesses. We'll see kung talagang mapapatunayan ko ngayon conference."