Magnolia is looking for a dynamic import who can complement the presence of its frontliners in the Commissioner’s Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association starting October.
Hotshots head coach Chito Victolero said they need an import who can complement the presence of the 6-foot-9 James Laput as well as newly-acquired Abu Tratter and returning veteran Ian Sangalang.
Laput has already shown great improvement while Tratter is coming on board and Sangalang returning from injury, prompting them to hire an import who will blend well with the local players.
“James has definitely improved and I think he will play a bigger role for us in the coming season,” Victolero said.
“We know that the coming conference will feature big imports who will play 35 to 40 minutes a game, but I think we’ll find a way to get James more involved.”
“If you would notice, he has developed his game as well in the perimeter. He’s been shooting 12 to 15 footers and he’s a good free throw shooter.”
In the ongoing PBA On Tour, Laput posted double-double averages of 12.3 points on a high 67 percent shooting from the field while grabbing 10 rebounds per game.
Tratter, on the other hand, provides the Hotshots a solid defender, somebody who can fill the void left by Sangalang who missed most of the team’s campaign last season due to thyroid illness.
With Laput, Tratter and the impending return of Sangalang boosting the Magnolia frontcourt, Victolero is now carefully studying the list of imports for the season-opening Commissioner’s Cup.
A bumper cast of solid inside players will allow Victolero to bring in a more dynamic import who is capable of playing inside and out and versatile enough to play multiple positions.
“We’ll look at our list, but definitely, since we’ve seen the improvement of James and we also have Tratter now on our team, we need a dynamic import who could play multiple positions,” Victolero said.
“We want to utilize everybody and we’ve seen how valuable the support cast is for our team.”
Last season, the Hotshots brought in Nick Rakocevic, an energetic American-Serbian forward who guided them all the way to the semifinals.
But due to the new import height requirement, Rakocevic might not be eligible as he was measured exactly 6-foot-9 last season.
Based on league rules, a player must be at least a shade below the height limit.
