TALENT and right chemistry are the perfect recipe for a championship.
Powerhouse his San Miguel Beer unit might be with the off-season acquisition of two-time scoring leader CJ Perez, but coach Leo Austria said emphasis now is putting premium on the harmony of the Beermen as a team in their bid to regain the PBA Philippine Cup title.
The Beermen were the first ones to make a noise in the buildup for the 46th season when they sent Russel Escoto, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, Gelo Alolino and the no. 8 first round pick in the last draft, and another first round pick in the 2022 draft to Terrafirma for the sought-after services of the 27-year-old Perez.
The 2019 Rookie of the Year coming on board makes a still solid San Miguel team among the top contenders for this year's All-Filipino conference.
But acquiring Perez, according to Austria, doesn't guarantee an outright title for the franchise.
Sponsored content: It still remains to be seen how the former NCAA MVP will blend with the core of Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot, Arwind Santos, Mo Tautuaa, and Von Pessumal, not to mention yet the return from injuries of stalwarts Terrence Romeo and six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo.
"Dito kasi sa team, there's so many players who can score. So, all we need is to develop the chemistry of the team with him (Perez)," said Austria.
Acquiring a big-time player in the mold of Perez was more than enough for San Miguel that it hardly bothered to strengthen its roster via last week's rookie draft, especially with the team having its first pick at no. 32 which it used to tab Allen Enriquez. The Beermen's other picks include Mohammad Salim, Greg Flor, Jeffrey Manday, and Luis Abaca.
Unfortunately, San Miguel has yet to fully incorporate Perez into its system since all teams at this point, are only allowed to train by individually by clusters.
There's no denying though, the Beermen will be an even dangerous team once Perez gets familiar with the way San Miguel plays.
Sponsored content: "We know for a fact that CJ is a scorer and very evident naman yan noong last bubble. Siya ang top scorer ng liga," said Austria.
"So far, so good, pagdating sa court, he's very observant," he added. "CJ will be a very important part of the team." (RG)
