PBA: Disappointed in debut, Shabazz Muhammad bounces back for Beermen

San Miguel import Shabazz Muhammad. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Shabazz Muhammad shook off his poor debut and steered San Miguel to a crucial victory in the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup Thursday.

The former Minnesota Timberwolf showed out for the Beermen putting up gaudy numbers of 33 points, 21 rebounds, and six assists against Rain or Shine in his second game for the club.

San Miguel head coach Leo Austria said Muhammad, who is the team’s third import this conference, was disappointed with himself after they lost to Magnolia, 104-87, in their previous assignment.

“He was so disappointed after our first loss with him and he was disappointed that he told us that we’ll bounce back, that’s why he was so focused this game,” said Austria after the 104-100 victory .

Muhammad, on the surface, had a decent game of 27 points and 17 rebounds but he struggled from the field going 11-of-28 and turning the ball over eight times.

This time, however, the 6-foot-6 forward picked his spots better and scored nine of his total points in the fourth quarter.

“His energy is really one of a kind,” said Austria as the Beermen improved to a 6-4 record tying Alaska at the fourth spot in the standings. “He’s rebounding and you can really see in his attitude that he wants to score.”

While Austria appreciated Muhammad’s penchant for scoring, it sometimes breaks the team’s offense and he had to remind his reinforcement to relax a bit.

“There are times that he really wants to score and I told him that he should involve his teammates and play according to the flow of the game. But I always give him a chance in transition because I know he can score in the open floor.”