Tiongson comes to SMB’s rescue

Juami Tiongson is known as a streaky shooter and an efficient offensive weapon.

However, his scoring cooled down a notch after getting shipped to San Miguel Beer before the start of the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup.

But with the defending champion’s back against the wall, Tiongson picked up the perfect time to unleash his scoring prowess.

The 33-year-old guard uncorked 22 points highlighted by six triples to rescue the Beermen from dangerous Converge, 116-113, to keep their quarterfinals hopes alive Friday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

For Tiongson, stepping up on offense wasn’t intentional.

“Actually, no. We have June Mar (Fajardo), we have CJ (Perez), Jericho (Cruz), Don Trollano, underrated scorer Mo (Tautuaa), we have a lot of scorers,” the Ateneo de Manila University product said after his stellar point production.

Tiongson shot 6-of-10 from the three-point area, and his hot hands opened up the floor for other Beermen, forcing the FiberXers to extend their defense outside.

Although Tiongson only had one assist under his name, his “unexpected” scoring outburst took Converge offguard as the Beermen improved to a 5-6 win-loss record at solo eight spot.

Since his trade from Terrafirma, the 12th overall pick in the 2014 Draft has been given the role of a facilitator as his scoring took a step back.

“Ever since we acquired him, we really have a role for him to play for the team. We all know that coming from his previous team, he can score. But he also knows that this team has a lot of players who can score too. If you notice, he’s trying his best to involve everybody,” San Miguel coach Leo Austria said.

The mentor also praised Tiongson for embracing his role.

“He’s trying to run the plays and giving the ball to players he knows can score. I think he’ll learn more. What is important is the winning attitude and how to win in a crucial game like this,” Austria added.

Hitting that many points may have been hard to come by for Tiongson but he’s not complaining.

“My role, just like what coach Leo said, is to get everyone involved first. In the fourth quarter if there’s a chance to get a pick-and-roll for myself, a chance to be more aggressive, then that’s my opportunity. It’s relatable to my time in Ateneo because my role then was to make sure everyone got their rhythm first and eventually get myself going,” he said.

“My scoring will always be there. I’m confident with myself knowing I can score anytime or I can create a shot for myself,” Tiongson added.

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“What’s important with the team is to get the ball to our players. Our priority is June Mar and CJ. They’ve won championships together already and I’m the new guy. I’m still getting my foot wet.”

Austria, however, gave his court general a pat on the back.

“He said the (offensive) priorities are CJ and June Mar but he’s my priority in the point guard (position). That’s because he’s the one to set up (plays) and lead the team,” the mentor said.