With no size to match Fajardo, Slaughter, TNT banks on quickness

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

TNT apparently knows when to stay on its lane.

In a PBA Philippine Cup where behemoths such as 6-foot-10 June Mar Fajardo and 7-footer Greg Slaughter wreak havoc, the KaTropa big men are aware where their spots are and where they can nullify the size advantage of the lumbering giants.

TNT forward Kelly Williams knows that trying to match Fajardo and Slaughter’s strength is practically a useless endeavor, but what they can do though is blitz around their bigger opponents as they dart in and out of the shaded area.

“There really is no matchup, those guys are huge, and we’ve always been undersized,” said the 6-foot-7 Williams Friday at Moro Lorenzo Sports Center in Ateneo after TNT’s practice.

“We’ll take advantage of what we have and that is our quickness and being able to work well within the system.”

Unlike San Miguel and Ginebra, TNT does not have a dominating big who plays in the post.

The KaTropa has the versatile trio of Williams, Troy Rosario, and Moala Tautuaa in their big man rotation and all three are capable of playing outside the paint that usually stretches out opposing teams’ defenses.

And this ability to spread the floor is the biggest edge the TNT has over Ginebra or San Miguel.

“As far as trying to go pound for pound, strength for strength, inch for inch with those guys, it’s not really possible with Greg or June Mar,” said Williams, the PBA 2008 MVP. “We’ll just take advantage of our strength where we can play outside and finish strong inside.”