Compared to his past stints with the Philippine national men’s basketball team, naturalized star Andray Blatche showed up in good shape for Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the 2017 SEABA Championship.
The former NBA player has shed some weight, allowing him to show glimpses of his old deadly form when he first joined the team in 2014.
Against Malaysia, he had an efficient outing: he scored 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block in just 16 minutes of play.
Blatche’s teammates couldn’t help but notice his well-conditioned form.
“Mas maganda yung condition niya ngayon unlike before. Nakita natin duma-dunk, nagdi-dribble, so masasabi ko mas kondisyon siya ngayon,” Jayson Castro said.
“Maganda yung kundisyon ni Andray. Mabilis siyang maka-adjust kasi beterano na siya sa ganito lagi siyang nasa overseas. Madali na rin siyang maka-adopt sa sistema sa Pilipinas kasi pang-apat na niyang balik,” June Mar Fajardo said.
Blatche flew in less than a week before the start of the tournament. But thanks to his stint in China, where he led his club to a championship, he came ready in SEABA.
Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes said Blatche’s minutes will increase as the tournament progresses.
“Inuunti-unti namin,” Reyes told InterAksyon. “Then, alam naman naming break bukas, so we’re taking advantage of it.”
