Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
BOCAUE — Counted on to be the main man for Ginebra this 2018 PBA Philippine Cup, Greg Slaughter is well aware of the larger load he has to carry for the Gin Kings this season.
“I understand that I have a big responsibility now. With one conference behind me after my injury, I feel like I’m back feeling comfortable with everything,” Slaughter said on Monday.
And in his first Philippine Cup game in two years, the Cebuano giant showed that he’s more than ready to step up to the plate.
Slaughter led the assault for Ginebra as he posted 24 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks, and two assists in its season-opening 89-78 victory over Magnolia at Philippine Arena.
But for the 29-year-old, his stats are the least of his concerns as he’s glad that the Gin Kings were able to notch the victory to open their campaign this 2017-2018 season.
“The most important is we got the win today,” he said. “We’re team-oriented. Even when we won the championships, we pride ourselves on getting high assists. That’s our calling card, sharing the ball, moving the ball, and playing team defense. So I wouldn’t say there’s an individual equalizer.”
Getting the first win in the bag is a big step for Ginebra, especially for Slaughter who sees this conference as an acid test for his side to prove that it can win titles without the help of a reinforcement.
“Last conference, we won the championship with Justin (Brownlee), and that’s great. But now that we’re without him, we’ve got to step up and I’m ready to take on that role,” he said as he and the rest of the Gin Kings seek to build on this victory moving forward.
“It’s only our first game and the goal for us is to win the championship. It’s good to get that first win, but we still got a lot of room to improve.”
Ginebra will face GlobalPort next on January 7.