PBA: Thriving Arvin Tolentino still not satisfied with his game

NorthPort Batang Pier star Arvin Tolentino in the PBA Philippine Cup. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Arvin Tolentino kept his feet on the ground despite a fiery run with Northport in the PBA Philippine Cup’s elimination round.

In the Batang Pier’s 112-96 victory over league juggernaut TNT, Tolentino said there’s still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to his game in the All-Filipino conference.

And that’s affer Tolentino just scattered 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists on a blistering 58 percent shooting clip.

READ: PBA: Arvin Tolentino thriving as NorthPort ‘leader’

“I feel like I’m still an incomplete player. I don’t look at myself as a complete player because once that gets put in my mind, it might start my downfall. I think that happens in every player,” said Tolentino in Filipino.

“I just always put in mind that there’s still a lot of flaws in my game which is why I really have to work had in practice by doing extra work, shooting, hitting the weight room, that’s my daily routine to be a better player than yesterday.”

That same mentality, Tolentino bared, is the reason why he keeps on giving more effort when it comes to practice or games.

READ: PBA: Arvin Tolentino embraces veteran role for Northport

“I still see myself as incomplete which is, I think, a big factor why I could never stop working on my game. I can score, rebound and I got the height but there’s so much more to the game than talent. I have confidence in myself, yes, but I still have a lot of work to do.”

The Asian Games gold medalist is certainly showing the fruits of his labor in the current tournament, posting averages of 22.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in close to 35 minutes per game.

Tolentino is also one of the main reasons why the Batang Pier, who barely reached the quarterfinals last year in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, is on a four-game winning streak—the current longest win streak in the league–to hold a 4-1 card.

Northport and Tolentino, though, will be tested anew on Wednesday as they face another league contender in Magnolia at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.