Brickman shows true worth

Jason Brickman finally showcased what he can bring to the table for Meralco after a forgettable debut in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.

Atoning for a measly three-point production in his first game, the first rounder in the last Draft played his best game thus far to power the Bolts to a 93-86 victory over Phoenix for back-to-back wins Saturday at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.

The 34-year-old guard was instrumental in Meralco’s decisive 12-7 run in the fourth quarter to take control of the match after shattering a 77-77 deadlock.

Brickman finished with 16 points on 7-of-12 field goal shooting — a good rebound from a 1-of-9 shooting clip to begin his long-delayed PBA career in the Bolts’ 109-88 blowout of Converge last Wednesday.

“Had a rough first game, but I was ready, you know, looking forward to this game to bounce back, and I’m glad we came out with the win,” the seventh overall pick said.

Brickman also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists in almost 30 minutes of play.

Not making any excuses, Brickman has been nursing a groin injury he sustained before his much-anticipated PBA gig.

Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo commended his ward for playing through his injury and contributing to the cause.

“He was able to bounce back after a not-so-good opening game for him in the PBA. Just thoughts about him stepping up all across the board, his numbers tonight. Yeah, well, I’ve always been a big fan of Jay. I’ve seen him play overseas,” he said.

“People don’t know, but that first game’s kind of like, it’s not fair to him because he’s got some injuries. He had a groin pull. Days leading up to our first game, he hadn’t played. He had like maybe one practice, so that’s not good, but we know what his caliber is, and he showed it today.”

Brickman just didn’t want to miss the Bolts’ first game that’s why he insisted on playing despite his situation.

“I think, you know, as coach said, I’m dealing with a groin injury, but I mean, I just, I’m eager to play. I don’t want to miss games,” he said.

“I know all the games are important. I think, you know, the regular season is very important to get a good spot, you know, for the playoffs. So I don’t want to miss any games, but I’m going to just try to, you know, if I can play, I want to play.”

Brickman hopes to get a good rest and recovery in the next five days before Meralco stakes its perfect record against highly physical but import Jaylen Johnson-less Rain or Shine on Friday.

“It’s getting better. I’m doing treatment. I think we have some days off so I can get some more treatment, but yeah, hopefully, it’ll be OK,” he said.