JEFFREI Chan's indelible print is now clearly being known in the PBA.
The southpaw forward came up the biggest when his team needed him most, pointing Rain or Shine to
the Governors’ Cup Finals and earning for himself the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week
honors for the period July 16 to 22.
Chan scored a game-high 25 points in the Elasto Painters' 92-82 win over B-Meg last Wednesday that
gave them the first championship berth in the season-ending tourney and ended the franchise's
six-season wait to get to a championship duel.
In that game, the 29-year-old scattered 10 of his points in the second quarter to help fully
establish Rain or Shine's control of the game before adding seven more in the fourth period for the
coasting win.
The former Far Eastern U gunner also had 15 points in a 90-98 loss to Talk 'N Text just two days
before to become the best local scorer for the period, add fuel to what is turning out to be a
career season and emerge as the last player to be so cited by the scribes for the season.
Chan has never averaged anywhere near 10 points for a season before, but he is way beyond that with
just a shade under 14 points, norming 14.4 ppg in the Governors’ Cup alone.
For E-Painters coach Yeng Guiao, however, it is not just Chan's scoring that matters.
"If we are to look at him now, it should be wholistically. The reason he is more successful now is
because he has molded his all-around game," said Guiao of the player he picked at 17th overall in
the 2008 Rookie Draft. "He can defend, pass and rebound, too."
Guiao added that Chan being a known threat, especially from beyond the arc, has offered his
teammates more opportunities.
"There's his three-point shooting, so hindi siya pwedeng iwanan. The defense has to extend and that
enables us to operate a lot better. That opens up the driving and passing lanes for us and more
options for our post players," explained Guiao.
"Kaya nga whether he is scoring or not, he has been consistently contributing to our success so
far."
Guiao need not add the hope that Chan's fully evolving game does not end with Rain or Shine's Finals
entry alone. (NC)
Source: PBA.ph