All eyes were on Justine Baltazar when he made his PBA debut for the Converge FiberXers a little over a month ago against the NorthPort Batang Pier.
The no. 1 overall pick of the 2024 PBA Draft finished with 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 20 minutes of playing time. It was admittedly an underwhelming debut for a ballyhooed rookie.
Pundits saw it as a sign the man called “Balti” is destined to be a bust.
A 4-point, 7-rebound, 4-assist outing didn’t exactly silence the doubters.
But Balti kept showing signs he could be a game-changer. He grabbed 13 rebounds—8 in the offensive glass—in the FiberXers’ win over the Phoenix Fuel Masters. He fired a career-high 16 points on an ultra-efficient 6-for-9 clip in Converge’s Christmas Day win over the Meralco Bolts. He scored 17 and grabbed 8 rebounds recently against the TNT Tropang Giga.
Then, in his ninth game in the PBA, the 6-foot-8 beanpole from Pampanga delivered the first of what could be many 20-10 performances—20 points and 10 rebounds in a win over the Blackwater Bossing. He added 3 steals and 2 blocks to boot.
Justine Baltazar Is Getting the Hang of It
Nine games into his PBA career, it appears Baltazar is getting the hang of things. And don’t be surprised if he keeps getting better—not with his comfort level with Converge growing by the day.
“Tumatagal na ‘ko sa team, 100 percent kumportable na ‘ko,” Baltazar told reporters in the postgame presser after Converge beat Blackwater on Sunday. “Kelangan talaga manalo para sa mga boss namin and ‘yung expectations ng mga fans namin. Kaya kelangan talaga namin pagtrabahuhin talaga.”
The 27-year-old two-time MPBL MVP might need to work even harder with frontcourt partner Justin Arana suffering what appears to be a knee injury. The burly big man sustained the injury in the third quarter of that same game against Blackwater.
The uncertain status of Arana notwithstanding, Baltazar vowed he’ll stay ready. And he better be as June Mar Fajardo and his San Miguel Beermen are up next for the FiberXers.
“Magiging ready lang ako,” Baltazar said. “Alam naman ng lahat si June Mar kung gano kadominante sa ilalim, so kung anuman game plan ng mga coaches namin, pagtatrabahuhin namin, paghahandaan namin.
Balti will test the eight-time MVP tomorrow as Converge takes on the Beermen at the Ynares Center. It’s another chance to silence the doubters, who are admittedly not as loud nowadays.
