Jeff Chan hasn’t had the smoothest of rides since Barangay Ginebra in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
His first five games with the Gin Kings have been abysmal with Chan making just one three-pointer after 13 attempts and scoring just 28 total points.
Chan found got himself into the proverbial desert with nary any sign of precipitation, that was until the Gin Kings marched into the semifinals.
As if a switched was flicked on, Chan seemed to have found his scoring groove and put up 21 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, to help Ginebra to a 102-89 win over Rain or Shine in Game 1.
READ: Ginebra trumps Rain or Shine for 1-0 semis lead
“I can say that I’m now more comfortable with my team and I feel I have found my rhythm,” said Chan in Filipino Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “I talked with coach Tim [Cone] the other day regarding my role in the team and it shone a light on me.”
Chan was averaging 5.6 points in his first five games and that was until Cone showed him that he does not have to force himself into situations but allow the offense to come to him.
Cone said Chan would thrive in a free-flowing offense that will naturally give him the space to work in the perimeter.
“Jeff is a really great weapon when he’s got good players around him,” said Cone, whose team is on an eighth-game winning streak. “When he’s got really good players around him who can create openings for him, he is really dynamic and Jeff showed that to us tonight.”
Chan was the sparkplug of Ginebra’s game-defining 23-4 run in the fourth quarter when he faked Jay Washington and drilled the three-pointer for the 79-70 Gin King lead.
He then made another triple and got to the basket on a transition layup for Ginebra’s 97-78 lead, and all these buckets were just precursors to the Gin Kings’ 102-78 lead with 3:25 left in the game.
“I now know when to shoot and when not to shoot,” said Chan.