Shawn Taggart. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Shawn Taggart is hopeful that his second go-round in the PBA will be a more fruitful one.
Plugged in as GlobalPort’s replacement import midway in the conference last season, the slotman struggled to get his footing as the Batang Pier failed to advance to the quarterfinals.
But now he’s with the reigning Commissioner’s Cup champion Rain or Shine, the 31-year-old believes that he’s in a better position to contend for the title this time out.
“I feel like I fit here very well. When the double team comes, I got shooters to pass the ball out and they knock shots down. They play without the ball and I feel like it’s a good fit for both of us,” he said.
Taggart also thinks that by arriving in the country earlier to foster camaraderie with his new squad, he got a better grasp of how the team works, unlike last time where he felt that he was “just thrown to the wolves.”
“The difference now is I was here before the conference started,” he said. “Last season, Stanley (Pringle) and Terrence (Romeo) were hurt and so there’s a lot of scoring I needed to do. This time around, I can still score but I have lot of options on the floor. The offense is always flowing all the time.”
And that’s just what he did, tallying 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks in Rain or Shine’s 113-105 win over NLEX on Friday to kickstart the 2017 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on a good note.
With everything clicking, Taggart is keeping his hopes up that Rain or Shine can make another run and defend the title.
“I like to play with all of them because everybody is a team player. No one cares who scores or shoot the ball. It’s just whoever have the shot, they take the shot,” he said.