PBA: Meralco’s CJ Cansino shows promise but still has work to do

Meralco swingman CJ Cansino during a PBA semifinal game against TNT.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–After a semifinals exit in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Meralco now turns its focus to developing CJ Cansino.

The young gun’s progress has certainly caught the attention of Chris Newsome.

“CJ has a lot of potential but as you saw in this series, there are still a lot of things he needs to work on,” Newsome told the Inquirer on Sunday after getting booted out by TNT in Game 6.

READ: PBA: Meralco rues lack of time with Patrick Gardner after semis exit

“He’s well aware of that and for him to get to the next level, he has to prove himself on defense and he also has to prove that he shouldn’t be a point of attack on the opposing team’s offense.”

After having a commendable string of games during the elimination round, Cansino had trouble against Tropang 5G’s defense, especially in the biggest game of their semis series.

With the Bolts facing elimination, Cansino only had two points and two rebounds in a 97-94 loss.

“Whenever you get a target on your back like that, it just shows that you have things to prove,” said Newsome.

READ: TNT beats Meralco, sets up PBA Finals rematch vs Ginebra

“Offensively, I don’t think he had a problem gaining the respect of the other teams but now he has to earn the respect of other teams defensively,” he added.

Cansino also narrowly missed a potential game-winning four-pointer in the final seconds.

“It’s so obvious that I need to work on a lot regarding my body, conditioning and nutrition,” said the former State U cog. “I’ll step back for a bit and we’ll see what I’ll need to improve on.”