Replacement import Justin Patton received a thumbs up for an impressive debut for San Miguel Beer in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.
Patton delivered a double-double in the Beermen’s 110-94 domination of guest team Macau in a bounce back win Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Brought in to take over the spot of Marcus Lee, who got pink-slipped after three games, the 28-year-old former National Basketball Association (NBA) player finished with 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting and grabbed 17 rebounds.
He also showed his defensive skills with three steals and one block to go with two assists in a tireless 40-minute outing.
San Miguel head coach Leo Austria praised the 16th overall pick of the Chicago Bulls in the 2017 NBA Draft for his contributions despite a short preparation with the team.
Patton only had one practice session with the Beermen before his first game to be acquainted with his teammates and get a run-through of Austria’s system.
“He really wants to play so, I gave him a lot of time because he’s not yet adjusted to the Philippine brand of basketball. He’s trying to figure it out,” Austria said.
Although he landed in Manila last week from Utah, Patton barely had time to practice because of the paperwork and documentation he needed to complete to obtain clearance to play.
“And then yesterday (Monday) we had a long practice for him to know what kind of plays we’re going to run. But the good thing about him is, he’s able to pick it up right away,” Austria added.
Listed at 7-foot-1, Patton’s ceiling, agility and nose for defense might well be the perfect fit for the Beermen, who are looking to bury the embarrassment of an elimination round exit in last year’s edition.
San Miguel currently sports a 2-2 win-loss record.
“As of now, he’s impressive. He played well despite just one practice with us. So, hopefully, in the next games he’ll be able to pick up his game and lead us to more wins,” said guard CJ Perez, who led all scorers with 26 points as the Beermen sent the Black Knights to a 0-5 record.
San Miguel will have a short Holy Week break before going back to business on Easter Sunday against Barangay Ginebra at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.