Alein Maliksi (light/barako bull) vs Sly Morgan PBA IMAGE / Nuki Sabio
MANILA, Philippines—If there’s one bright spot on Barako Bull’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign, it has to be Allein Maliksi’s play.
Maliksi, the inaugural PBA D-League MVP, dropped a career-high 25 points and corralled 12 rebounds to lead the Energy Cola to a 96-87 win over GlobalPort Sunday.
“The last five, six games Maliksi has been playing at a high level,” noticed Barako Bull consultant Rajko Toroman.
Maliksi still has a lot to improve on especially on the defensive end but Toroman added that the swingman has the tools to be the team’s main man.
Barako Bull, whose hopes for a spot in the playoffs got crushed after Air21 stunned Petron Blaze last Saturday, finished the conference with a 5-9 slate but despite owning the league’s second worst record, Toroman sees a better team ahead.
“This team has the potential, this team has the talent,” he said. “I think [in] the next conference we’ll be much better.”