Justine Baltazar drags feet in debut, vows to bounce back strong

Justine Baltazar (left, photo above) has a week to cool his heels and show why he is the most talked-about rookie in the last Draft. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Justine Baltazar, the PBA’s top pick in the last Draft, and veteran Troy Rosario had contrasting results in their much-awaited debuts for their respective clubs.

Both, however, believe in the same thing as they chart different paths, with one pro career just starting and the other entering its final half: Things will only get better from here on out.

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Baltazar could have wished for a better first game last Thursday after Converge fell to red-hot and unbeaten NorthPort, 108-101, while Rosario was triumphant in Barangay Ginebra’s 109-100 victory over streaking NLEX the night before.

READ: Justine Baltazar opens his Converge stint with a loss

“I couldn’t move that much inside since I am burned out,” the 6-foot-10 big man said in Filipino, who, just a few days before, came from a championship run with the Pampanga Giant Lanterns in the MPBL. “I really need some rest and I still need time to get to know my teammates.”

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“I’ve only been practicing with them for two days. There’s plenty of games left, but I know that I need to make up for it,” he said of his forgettable PBA debut, where he had only five points, four rebounds and three assists.

Rosario had a slightly better stat line for the crowd darlings with nine points, seven rebounds and three assists. But the immensity of his presence is something that couldn’t be exactly captured by those numbers, according to coach Tim Cone.

READ: PBA:  Converge fulfills its needs by drafting Justine Baltazar

“Well, he gets everybody back in their comfortable positions,” Cone said. “With Troy coming in, being able to play the forward or the three, that allows Justin (Brownlee) to be on the opposite wing, and that takes some of the load off in the rebounding and inside play that we rely a lot on Justin for.

“[It’s] not necessarily what he’s gonna do for us game in and game out … but what he does for everybody else, which allows everyone to get comfortable.”

Their next games

Rosario had another chance to live up to Cone’s vote of confidence on Friday as the Gin Kings were playing struggling Phoenix at Ninoy Aquino Stadium (NAS) in the nightcap.

And the versatile forward, who was once a champion at TNT, will have plenty more chances to do just that with the powerhouse club slated to play four more games before the year ends, including the Christmas Day clash with corporate sibling Magnolia.

Baltazar, meanwhile, gets just what he asked for, as the FiberXers won’t be playing until Tuesday next week when the telco club plays NLEX also at NAS.

And the former La Salle ace said that when he gets his act together, “we can become solid.” INQ