PBA: RJ Abarrientos shines off the bench for Ginebra

Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos shoots against NorthPort in the PBA Philippine Cup.–PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—When Ginebra needed a fuse to provide a spark for the second unit against Northport in the PBA Philippine Cup, RJ Abarrientos answered the call.

In the Gin Kings’ 131-106 blowout win over the Batang Pier on Wednesday, Abarrientos came off the bench and produced a performance worthy of coach Tim Cone’s high praises.

“He’s an offensive stud, there’s no doubt about it,” said Cone. “If you don’t learn to defend him well, he can beat you up, scoring-wise.”

READ: PBA: Ginebra gets lift from Jayson David in rout of NorthPort

That’s exactly what Abarrientos did to the Batang Pier’s defense, which couldn’t contain the shifty rookie.

The Far Eastern University product scored a game-high 27 points plus eight assists and three steals, pushing the Gin Kings to a 2-1 card.

Although Cone had some positives to say about his prized young guard, he’s all for Abarrientos’ improvement especially on the defensive end.

READ: PBA: San Miguel dominates Ginebra in bounce-back win

“He’s still working on the other side of the floor, he’s still working on that but he’ll get much, much better,” Cone said.

“RJ does such a great job of coming off the bench and he allows us to start a big lineup.”

The Gin Kings take on the NLEX Road Warriors on Wednesday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.