His team, the San-en NeoPhoenix, are at a dismal 1-9 despite having two capable imports, Serbian Stevan Jelovac and American Kyle Hunt.
Thirdy is the first player ever recruited under the Asian Player Quota System, in which teams can recruit an Asian player to bolster their lineup.
Thirdy's first game was against the Shimane Magic (5-5) who were also playing at home. Thirdy's NeoPhoenix escaped with an 83-82 victory, which means they move up to 2-9 while Shimane moves down to 5-6.
Here are my three impressions of this game:
Impression #1 He Belongs At This Level
Thirdy started off tentatively but loosened up later in the game and showed why San-en got him as an import. Aside from scoring 13 points, grabbing 3 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists, Thirdy showed off his clutch pedigree by flipping a switch in the fourth and scoring 8 points in about five minutes.
Impression #2 He Needs To Shake Off The Rookie Jitters
We are so used to seeing a Thirdy who is uber-confident and super aggressive, not just with Ateneo but even with Gilas Pilipinas. Remember, he was the only college player to date to log minutes as a member of Gilas in a World Cup Qualifying match. And he was unfazed by that. Today, he was obviously tentative during the first half and deferred too much, even while his teammates were willing to defer to him. He needs to understand that he is an import, a hired gun, regardless of whether he's a rookie or not.
Impression #3 He Needs To Keep At It On Defense
One thing that surprised me today was how passive Thirdy was on defense, especially in the first half. He blew several assignments, missed a couple of box outs, and obviously gave up on a couple of plays in the first half. He was much better in the second half, especially in closing out on shooters and denying the passing lane, which led to coach Branislav Vicentic putting him in for defensive purposes in the game-deciding play, with 3.6 seconds left. That shows how much trust Vicentic already has in him. He's got to keep raising his defensive intensity so he keeps playing in crunch time.
All in all, an impressive debut for the young Ravena. We'll be watching the rest of the B. League season for more highlights from this young star.
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Watch the replay of Thirdy's first game here: https://fb.watch/1Cz_V5g_JX/
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