Despite having a strong roster consisting of seasoned veterans and up-and-coming young players, the Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados have seen limited success in recent seasons, outside of reaching the finals in the S49 Philippine Commissioner’s Cup where they lost 2-4 to San Miguel. This led them to shake up the line-up multiple times, including letting go of several key players. Many of whom are flourishing for their respective teams in this conference.
Ex-Magnolia Players Thriving with New Teams
First on the list is Calvin Abueva. The Beast was traded in May this year to the NorthPort Batang Pier, where he immediately made an impact—averaging 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 3.5 stocks in his first two games last conference. In his Titan Ultra debut, he erupted for a career-high 41 points while also grabbing 7 rebounds.
Jerrick Ahanmisi, on the other hand, was drafted by Magnolia and played for the team from 2021 to 2025. In his first two games this conference with Terrafirma, he took off for 19.5 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 7-for-10 from three-point range.
Veteran big man Abu Tratter made a decent impact with Blackwater last conference, but he raised his level of play this time, scoring in double figures in his first two outings and posting solid rebounding numbers, especially against a towering Meralco Bolts lineup.
Jio Jalalon is also doing well with the TNT Tropang 5G. While he may not be productive in scoring, he continues to play a big role on defense, averaging 6.5 rebounds while also reliably running their offense.
With these players proving a point, it’s becoming clear that the issue wasn’t their talent, but perhaps how they were utilized in the system they once played under.
