After the TNT Tropang Giga lost Jayson Castro to injury down the stretch of Game 2 in their semis showdown against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, all eyes naturally turned to Rey Nambatac. After all, he was a former seventh overall pick in the 2017 PBA Draft and is a career 10.2 points per game scorer.
But in Game 3, TNT’s first game without Castro moving forward, Nambatac all but disappeared, finishing with just 2 points on 1-for-4 shooting in 24:22 of action. He had 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal but was largely ineffective, as shown by his –7 plus/minus for the game.
Apparently, the lights got a bit too bright for the 31-year old former Letran Knight—and he was candid enough to admit it in Monday’s press conference at Kamay Kanina in Quezon City days prior to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals pitting Nambatac’s TNT and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
“Na-pressure talaga ko,” Nambatac said when asked about filling in for Castro. “Pero at least kahit papano, na-overcome ko na ‘yung pressure and na-realize ko na instead na bumaba morale ko, take ko siya as motivation and as a positive na rin para lumabas pa ‘yung laro and makatulong pa sa team.”
Rising Above Pressure: Rey Nambatac Fights Off the Jitters
Indeed, Nambatac was able to overcome those jitters just in time as he helped the Tropang Giga close out Rain or Shine with back-to-back wins in Games 4 and 5.
In Game 4, the Cagayan de Oro native started off strong, scoring 11 of his 12 points in the first half to help TNT get an early lead it sustained late. Nambatac was even better in Game 5, firing 12 points again on top of 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals—including one on Rain or Shine import Deon Thompson to help the Tropang Giga fend off the Elasto Painters’ last-ditch stand.
But as the saying goes, the job isn’t done. In fact, it will only get harder as TNT shoots for four more wins against a most formidable adversary in Ginebra. At the very least, though, one of the Tropa’s key locals in Rey Nambatac is looking ready for the battle ahead.
