The Converge FiberXers’ Schonny Winston is the definition of a three-level scorer. He can get to and finish at the rim, do damage from midrange, and hit the long ball just as well. But the 6-foot-4 former La Salle Green Archer has willingly sacrificed a lot of that scoring prowess and is deferring to his teammates, notably super rookie Juan Gomez de Liaño, big man Justin Arana, and fellow rising star Alec Stockton.
That Winston is willingly deferring shows maturity and is proof that the player and franchise have fully moved on from the seeming tensions between the two. That tension was particularly palpable in the offseason, when the former ninth overall pick of the Season 48 PBA Draft nearly got suspended for supposedly refusing to play in an exhibition tournament. But that seems to be water under the bridge now, with the 27-year-old guard-forward playing at a high level even as he comes off the bench for Converge.
Sacrifices aside, make no mistake about it: Winston is one of the best offensive weapons in the PBA today, and he’s most certainly capable of scoring more than the 13 points per game he’s averaging. But as Schonny Winston has shown, even in his days in the UAAP, he’s all about winning—and he’ll do whatever it takes to help the FiberXers become perennial winners in the PBA. Sometimes, he’ll have to take charge and score in bunches. Other times, he’ll have to be more of a support player. Either way, he’s pretty good at it.
