Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and the TNT Tropang Giga during a PBA Commissioner’s Cup game against NLEX Road Warriors. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—TNT may have gotten away with the victory with NLEX in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup but Rondae Hollis-Jefferson didn’t look too thrilled at the end of the buzzer.
During TNT’s 94-87 win over the Road Warriors, Hollis-Jefferson had some heated moments on the bench where he’d occasionally walk away from huddles and isolate himself.
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READ: PBA: RHJ, TNT fend off NLEX ahead of crucial duel vs Ginebra
However, Tropang Giga coach Chot Reyes cleared the air and assured that there’s no rift between the squad and their stellar import.
“You will see during games that he mutters at himself, he curses himself but he doesn’t curse out his teammates or anyone else. It’s all directed towards him and we learned to live with that and accept that because that’s who he is,” said the veteran tactician at Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Wednesday night.
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“Like I always tell my players, I don’t care if we have a shouting match on the sidelines, as long as when you come in, you’re giving your best. Kung nagpapakamatay ka sa loob, even if we scream at each other on the bench, it’s okay with me.”
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and the TNT Tropang Giga during a PBA Commissioner’s Cup game against NLEX Road Warriors. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
The reason for Hollis-Jefferson’s frustrations was apparent on the stat sheet.
Even after finishing with a usual double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds, the league’s two-time Best Import awardee had some icy struggles.
RHJ registered a lowly 28 percent field goal shooting clip, sinking just seven of his 25 tries from the field. The former Brooklyn Net’s struggle was visible even from the charity stripe as he missed six of his 12 shots.
READ: PBA: Past losses continue to fire up Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
But that didn’t seem to bother Reyes in the slightest.
After all, it’s hard to be mad at one of the main reasons for TNT’s 5-2 winning record.
“That’s the dynamic between, not just me and Rondae, but the whole team. We all know that and we appreciate him. That’s a small thing compared to what he gives us inside the court,” Chot said.
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TNT looks to keep up their winning ways with RHJ on Friday when they go on a Governors’ Cup Finals rematch against Ginebra at Philsports Arena.
