Rey Nambatac will be given a new role as chief playmaker when he suits up for Blackwater in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup starting 28 February.
After finding a team that could unlock his talent, Nambatac is tipped to lead the Bossing backcourt, especially now that veteran JVee Casio has yet to get the green light to play due to knee soreness.
The Bossing had already released a pair of seasoned point guards the past month in Baser Amer and Rashawn McCarthy, paving the way for Nambatac to play combo guard while sharing the playmaking chores with rookie James Kwekuteye and RK Ilagan.
This early, Nambatac is impressing his new coach, Jeffrey Cariaso.
“He will be a solid player for us and he fits exactly what we need in the point guard position,” Cariaso said in a message to Daily Tribune.
“He’ll go through an adjustment period, getting to know his new teammates, but I don’t see that as a big issue.”
Nambatac will be reunited with his former Rain or Shine teammate James Yap as well as other stars like forward Troy Rosario and swingman Rey Suerte.
Nambatac is the newest addition in the Blackwater squad.
He was traded by Rain or Shine to the Bossing for future picks — a first-round choice in this year’s Rookie Draft and a second-round pick next year that Blackwater obtained from TNT Tropang Giga in previous deals.
He was the Elasto Painters top gun during the bubble tournament a couple of years ago but his numbers declined when Yeng Guiao returned as head coach.
Known for giving equal opportunities, Guiao put more premium on young and developing players which somehow affected Nambatac’s minutes and production.
In the previous Commissioner’s Cup, Nambatac’s average was reduced to 9.1 points per game, far from the 16.7 points per game that he posted during the bubble tournament.
For the Bossing, it’s an opportunity to get better.
“We have to tweak our line up from the way we started and that’s the idea and the goal so half of our team is different now from when I first took over 10 months ago,” Cariaso said.
“Do we expect different results? Of course, we do. But at the same time, we’re still at that learning curve where players are getting to know each other and getting to know the system and vice versa with coaches trying to get to know them more.”
But with Yap and Nambatac joining forces as well as Rosario and Suerte, Cariaso expects better things to come for a Bossing team that could only come up with one win in 11 games last conference.
“We believe in our veterans, especially with James and Rey joining us, but it will really depend on how they could get along with Rey Suerte, Troy, Ato Ular and RK Ilagan. Those guys are going to be a big part of what we do,” Cariaso said.
“We’re looking forward to better times ahead. I honestly feel our lineup has improved and that’s the start we need to improve our standings. Much credit goes to Boss Dioceldo and Boss Silliman Sy for supporting the vision we have for the team.”
