Jordan Heading got his feet wet as he made his TNT debut against Ginebra in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup. Tim Cone believes things are looking up for the Tropang 5G with Heading’s arrival.
Jordan Heading was obviously still trying to figure things out when he made his TNT debut in a 78-97 loss to Ginebra on Sunday in the PBA Philippine Cup.
After almost 20 minutes of play, Heading became the second-best scorer for the Tropang 5G with 10 points, which he spiked with three rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
But despite Heading and TNT on the receiving end of a beatdown, there’s no doubt in Ginebra coach Tim Cone’s mind that it won’t take long before their title rivals figure things out wit the former Gilas gunner.
“I don’t wanna play him four games from now. Three or four games from now, they’re gonna figure out where exactly is Heading gonna fit,” said Cone after their big win, which put Ginebra in prime position to take a twice-to-beat advantage in the Philippine Cup playoffs.
“We know he’s a huge talent. He [Heading] fits the style and tempo which they play. Give them a little more time, he’s gonna be huge for what they do.”
Heading, who was recovering from back spasms, was simply grateful to be back on the court again.
“It was amazing. I couldn't stop smiling. I was so happy to be back out there,” the Fil-Australian cager said, who was traded to TNT from Converge last week.
“I’ve been pretty bored not being on the court, so it felt good to be back in between the lines.”
Seeing their six-game winning streak snapped, TNT’s path to the twice-to-beat bonus just got tougher after sliding to 6-4.
But with Heading slowly getting acclimatized with how the Tropang 5G do things, things are looking up for them.
“Super important game for both teams, so we'll be ready for it. Hopefully, we get a better result than we did tonight. Both teams are going to need that win for sure,” he said.
(With reports from Gillian Trinidad, One Sports Digital)