The Magnolia Hotshots are in the midst of a 5-2 stretch after an 0-3 start to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. And if that’s not encouraging enough, Magnolia coach LA Tenorio said he’s starting to figure out how to make the most of his admittedly talented roster that’s a mix of veterans and young guns.
“Nakukuha ko na ‘yung tamang timpla dito sa team na ‘to. The hardest part of being a coach, I just realized, is sobrang daming talent ngayon, especially sa team namin,” Tenorio told reporters after Magnolia walloped the Titan Ultra Giant Risers on Wednesday. “Anybody can score, anybody can contribute, defense and offense. We really just have to find ways how to utilize them in every game.”
That talent showed against Titan, with Zavier Lucero and Jerom Lastimosa leading the charge, and Javi Gomez de Liaño and rookie Yukien Andrada sparking Magnolia off the bench with their long-range sniping.
Magnolia Hotshots Roster Presents Good Problem for Tenorio
Later on, Tenorio acknowledged the challenges of allotting minutes to a talent-laden lineup but described it as “a good problem.” And, evidently, the Magnolia Hotshots are making it easy on their coach by buying into his vision.
“Mahirap,” Tenorio conceded. “But it’s a good problem for me. What I like about my players right now is they’re always ready and buying in to the system… and ‘yung kanilang role. Every time they’re on the court, they have to do something positive, whether it’s on offense or defense. That’s what I like in this team ‘cause nakukuha na nila ‘yung ganung role. We really just have to find ways to get the right mix.”
Tenorio, at least on Wednesday, appeared to have found the right mix, distributing minutes to 14 Hotshots and getting contributions from practically everyone who played. It’s just one game, but it’s something to build on as Magnolia gears up for a make-or-break stretch run.
Working on Offense and Defense
At 5-5, the Magnolia Hotshots’ path to the quarters is murky at best. But they at least control their own fate: win their two remaining games—against the TNT Tropang 5G on May 5 and the Meralco Bolts on May 10—and they’re in.
It’s a tough back-to-back, which is why Tenorio is hoping Magnolia can put together its offense and defense for the stretch run.
“Now, we have to fix our offense… I’m not worried about our point production because at any given night, any player sa team namin can really score… We have to combine, pagsamahin namin defense and offense. By doing that we have to limit our turnovers…,” Tenorio pointed out.
Indeed, the Magnolia Hotshots have shown they can defend. They’ve shown they can put points on the board, too. Now, LA Tenorio wants them doing both more consistently.
