PBA Player of the Week RJ Abarrientos proves worth for Ginebra

MANILA, Philippines — With a skill set and high basketball IQ honed by overseas experience, it’s no longer surprising for Rhon Jay "RJ" Abarrientos to not only make the regular rotation of Barangay Ginebra but also get deployed in crunch time.

And the No. 3 overall pick is proving Tim Cone and the coaches right in trusting him with big responsibilities in high stakes games.

In the Game 5 tiebreaker of the PBA Governors' Cup semifinal series with San Miguel Beer last Friday, the 25-year-old Abarrientos erupted for a new PBA career-high of 28 points to take the scoring cudgels and help get the Gin Kings on the hill with a 121-92 romp.

Two nights later, the 5-foot-11 dynamo accounted for 16 highlighted by a clutch 3-point shot and nifty assists that led to a highlight dunk by Japeth Aguilar and layup by Scottie Thompson in the fourth as the Gin Kings ultimately closed SMB out, 102-99, to set a title rematch with TNT.

For his strong play, Abarrientos (18.3 points spiked by a 44% 3-point shooting, 4 assists and 3.3 rebounds in three matches) earned the PBA Press Corps-Pilipinas Live Player of the Week citation for the period October 16-20 – the last to be given by the covering media for the conference.

“I just want to improve myself every practice, every game. I’m just doing my thing every day na maging better as a person as a player,” said Abarrientos, who previously suited up for Korean club Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus in 2022 and won the KBL Rookie of the Year honors in this stint then brought his act to Japan B. League via Shinshu Brave Warriors in 2023 before applying for the PBA draft.

“I’m just doing my thing everyday na maging better as a person and as a player. And sobrang thankful ako sa Ginebra coaches, sa binibigay nila sa aking confidence and of course sa fans ng Ginebra, hindi ko ito magagawa kung hindi dahil sa kanila.”

Playing mostly off the bench, Abarrientos has seamlessly blended with one-time Most Valuable Player Thompson in what’s emerging as a new lethal backcourt tandem.

“Si RJ, talagang parang beterano na maglaro. We all know yung experience niya sa international,” said Thompson of Abarrientos, who is expected to play a key role when the Gin Kings challenge holder TNT for the crown beginning Sunday.