MANILA, Philippines – Calvin Oftana should learn to be the go-to guy of the TNT Tropang Giga, head coach Jojo Lastimosa said, as they try to string together wins in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner's Cup.
Oftana shouldered the offensive load for TNT during their Wednesday night clash against the NLEX Road Warriors.
Oftana, who had four points in the first half, exploded for 19 points in the third quarter and helped erase a 22-point TNT deficit.
The sweet-shooting forward's exploits were enough to light a fire under the Tropang Giga, as they defeated NLEX, 113-97.
After the game, Lastimosa said Oftana should be more aggressive in finding his shots.
"Calvin is... we are already in the situation where we do not have Roger [Pogoy,] we don't have Mikey [Williams] and we don't have Jayson [Castro] tonight. And sometimes, being the lone scorer in the team tonight, sometimes you have to force your shots," the coach told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino.
"That should be his mantra all the time, because you just could not look for open shots. He cannot find those because he is being heavily guarded. So, that's one thing that he needs to figure out, being our go-to guy now," he added.
Oftana finished with 29 points in the game, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 5-of-9 from the 3-point territory. He also had eight rebounds, four assists and a steal.
He said he was frustrated with himself with his first half performance, which led to his eruption.
"Coach talked to me, saying I should shoot and shoot, no one will get angry. But, I told him that my game is not that, and I am playing for the team. I will take what the defense gives me," the former San Beda Red Lion bared.
"We just want to win and get back to the winning track. Because, the games that we could have won, we lost. So, we're redeeming ourselves and hopefully this carries over."
TNT will try to notch back-to-back wins as they face the struggling Blackwater Bossing on Friday, December 15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Blackwater lost its last six games and is currently 1-6.