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New Rain or Shine import Antoine Wright said his lackluster play on Sunday could be attributed to a number of factors, one of which was his inactivity for the past seven months.
“It’s been a while since I played an official game, so there was a lot of rust,” said Wright, who was brought in as a replacement for the injured Wayne Chism.
Wright came in at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning to make it to the Elasto Painters’ game against Ginebra.
“I haven’t slept. Went to hotel, practice, got measured, back to hotel, then to the game,” he said, as he finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in his PBA debut.
But Wright won’t dwell too much on his first game. He is also not the kind of player who makes excuses.
“That’s to be expected. I really wish I had a better showing, but I don’t make excuses from my performance. I’m a competitive guy. And today, I just didn’t have it for whatever reason,” he said.
Wright is looking forward to his second game with the squad, slated on Saturday against Alaska, where he hopes to show his real game.
“I’m a professional. I don’t make excuses. I had a lot of good shots, shots that I normally make, and that’s encouraging. The offense was good offense. It put me in right spots and the shots just didn’t fall,” he said, while also praising the system of coach Yeng Guiao, one he notes that he already feels comfortable with.
“It suits my game, so I know next game it will be better for me. I’m almost sure,” said Wright, who was selected 15th in the 2005 NBA Draft. “I’m looking forward to the next game.”