Jordan Murphy made his PBA debut for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Friday and led the team to a much-needed 129-111 win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Murphy finished with a superlative line of 30 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocks, looking comfortable alongside his new teammates—even as he continues to familiarize himself with the Triangle Offense.
Helping the Puerto Rican reinforcement settle in is teammate RJ Abarrientos, whom Murphy credited for guiding him through Tim Cone’s infamous offensive system.
The Jordan Murphy-RJ Abarrientos Connection
After his impressive debut, Murphy admitted this was his first time playing in a Triangle Offense, and that the learning curve has been steep. One player steering the Riley Grigsby replacement has been Abarrientos.
“It’s been quite an adjustment. I’ve never ran the triangle before so just learning the reads and learning to play off of my teammates,” Murphy said. “Especially RJ [Abarrientos] who’s a really good point guard, just making sure I can play off of him the right way and make the right play and make the right reads… It’s been a challenge but he’s been really good at communicating with me and making sure it’s more seamless.”
Murphy’s fit looked seamless on Friday night as he scored inside and out while moving the ball to open teammates, including the reigning Rookie of the Year.
Abarrientos himself showcased his elite playmaking, recording 9 assists to go along with his explosive scoring performance of 34 points.
Acid Test for Jordan Murphy in Manila Clasico
Murphy can’t rest on his impressive debut. On Sunday, he faces another acid test when Ginebra takes on the Magnolia Hotshots in the latest installment of Manila Clasico. The Hotshots won earlier on Friday against the Blackwater Bossing and will surely have a plan to keep Murphy from going off again.
But with Abarrientos by his side, Murphy may play even better.
