Jordan Heading has been given a special order by TNT head coach Chot Reyes: Keep shooting.
Reyes said the Filipino-Australian gunner should be more active offensively if they want to defend their Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup title against powerhouse Barangay Ginebra.
The Kings and the Tropang 5G are still slugging it out in Game 3 of their best-of-seven finals series at press time with the winner inching two games away from lifting the all-Filipino trophy.
Reyes stressed Heading has to step up at the offensive end after scoring only five points on 2-of-5 field goal shooting in their 100-102 loss in Game 1 last Wednesday before bouncing back with a 14-point performance in their 101-94 win in Game 2 last Friday.
Still, Reyes thinks his production isn’t enough.
“In Game 1, he hardly took shots,” Reyes said, adding that Heading’s outside shooting threatens the Ginebra defense and gives them more options on offense.
“We kept telling him he has to really hunt and look for his shots. That’s his value to us.”
With Heading firing blanks, Calvin Oftana stepped up, dropping five three-pointers for a 31-point explosion that allowed the Tropang 5G to knot the series at 1-1. All in all, TNT made 9-of-29 from threes, plus 2-of-3 from four-point range, both coming from Rey Nambatac.
Reyes stressed that Heading’s defense isn’t solid so he has to shoot the lights out if he wants to contribute to their championship campaign
