‘He’s the future’: PBA legends impressed by Kobe Paras

THE FUTURE. Kobe Paras impresses PBA legends in Nike Rise event Saturday night. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Kobe Paras rarely gets to play in his hometown but when he does, the UCLA-recruit reminds everyone that a Filipino could be on his way to fulfilling his NBA dream.

In a game featuring the past, present and future stars in Philippine basketball, Paras came out as the showstopper.

“Wow. [He is the] future,” said Alvin Patrimonio, one of the greatest players in the PBA, at the Nike Rise Legacy Night where he teamed up with the legends and elder statesmen of the league and played against the current and up-and-coming stars. “The kid has improved a lot from the last time I saw him.”

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Olsen Racela, one of the best point guards of all-time, echoed Patrimonio’s sentiment.

And Racela thinks playing in the US and competing against bigger and tougher competition were significant to Paras’ continuous growth as a player.

“Very bright future for him. Rarely do you see a 6’6”, 6’7” guy who plays the wing. Local talents don’t do that. Normally players that tall play the inside,” Racela told INQUIRER.net.

READ: NBA champ Brian Shaw sees bright future for Kobe Paras

“It’s good for him that he plays in the US to get exposed playing against bigger players so he can keep playing the wing position. I hope he’ll be the first Filipino in the NBA.”

What impressed Racela the most about Paras’ game is his athletic ability and his much-improved outside shooting.

“His athleticism is number one. His leaping ability off the charts. And then he has a nice shooting touch as you can see. For a big guy like him, he can also bring down the basketball. Basically, he’s the complete package. I just hope he continues playing as a wing for his development.”

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Paras’ shooting touch also caught the attention of another PBA legend in Allan Caidic, who is widely considered as the greatest shooter in Philippine basketball.

“He has a big upside. I can see the big improvement in his shooting because back when he was still playing for Greenhills, he’s more of a scorer and a slasher but now he has the three-point shooting,” Caidic said. “He now has the confidence because he’s been playing in the US.”

For a player like Paras, Racela feels the only thing he has to do to continue getting better is to have as much exposure and experience he could get. And Paras is in the perfect environment for it.

READ: Studies over basketball for UCLA commit Kobe Paras

“He gets superb training and the exposure he gets in the States is really different. We all know how they train players there,” Patrimonio said.

“We’re just here for him and we’re just hoping for his success. My advice to him is to just keep on working hard and stay humble and I’m sure the kid is going to go far.” CFC

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