Pinkney impresses Banal in Phoenix’s loss to TNT

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Koy Banal is keeping an optimistic look with Phoenix’s recent change of import.

“I want to be positive about that decision,” he said.

Replacing Kenny Adeleke with Kevinn Pinkney, the Fuel Masters are hoping to add more firepower to its lineup. Unfortunately, three practices didn’t do it as they fell to TNT, 108-96 on Saturday.

Pinkney did a good account of himself in the game, going for 26 points on a 13-of-18 shooting from the charity stripe, alongside 19 rebounds, but the lack of cohesion was evident as Phoenix fell to its second straight defeat.

“What can you expect from a guy who practiced for three days?,” said Banal. “You can’t do a lot in three days. We just wanted to make the game plan as simple as possible for him to easily cope up with our team.”

But for the soft-spoken mentor, there’s a lot to like for the Fuel Masters with Pinkney.

“I like his basketball IQ. He’s very intelligent and we believe he will be able to help us. And his outside shots are there. He’s an inside-outside threat,” he said.

For Banal, a little more seasoning could be the key as he sees the 32-year-old blending well with Phoenix’s array of gunners.

“Right now, our locals are still trying to learn how to play with our import. But I believe after our practice on Monday where we will show them on video the things we need to improve on, the video won’t lie. I think that’s a great teaching tool,” he said.

The Fuel Masters will have five days to better embed Pinkney to their lineup before facing Alaska on Friday.