For the first time in six months, Mac Tallo is back on the court.
Hampered by a latent tuberculosis diagnosed earlier this year, the Cebuano playmaker was happy to have made his return and find a new home in NLEX.
"It's my first game in six months. Kinakapa ko pa sarili ko at nakikita ko na kulang pa talaga ako sa kundisyon. Pero tuloy-tuloy lang sana yung laro ko and learn from my mistakes," he said.
Tallo finished with 11 points, three assists, three steals, two blocks, and a rebound as the 10th pick of the 2017 PBA Draft continues his derailed rookie campaign.
He did impress despite the Road Warriors suffering a 120-111 defeat to Alaska, holding his own on both ends against the Aces' bevy of guards like JVee Casio, Chris Banchero, and Simon Enciso.
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Though Tallo knows that he's bound for bigger responsibility with NLEX losing top-flight guards in Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas, he's not putting any pressure on himself to be the go-to-guy, but rather, opting to focus on what he can provide for this team.
"Hindi naman ako Kiefer Ravena maglaro. Hindi naman ako Kevin Alas maglaro. I'm more of a pass-first point guard and they're more of scorer than me," he said. "Ipapakita ko lang kung anong kaya kong gawin muna. At the same time, playing defense and pag-follow lang kung ano sinasabi nila coach."
Tallo's performance did turn heads, and left coach Yeng Guiao smiling as his decision to pick the young guard from the free agent pool made dividends early on.
"I'm very happy with the way he played. We were very lucky that nobody picked him up in the free agency. He was kind of excited to play and you can see he has the potential. It's a blessing in disguise for us," he said.
Guiao went to as far as comparing Tallo to a pair of his old stalwarts, saying: "Para siyang combination ni Jimwell Torion, dahil Cebu-style din siya, na may pagka-Willie Miller, with his body type."
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But the coach is holding on his horses first, acknowledging that right now, Tallo is nothing more than a project.
"I just want his natural game to develop. I just want him to be able to grasp the system of the team and the philosophy," he said. "Project yan and I will make sure na he reaches his potential."(DL)
