The Tropang Giga are adding a big piece to their championship puzzle.
TNT is among the top teams in the PBA, and it got a whole lot better after getting former NLEX big man Justin Chua, alongside swingman Paul Varilla.
In the three-team trade, the Tropang Giga sent Raul Soyud, Jjay Alejandro and its second round pick to Phoenix. The Fuel Masters also get a 2nd round pick from the Road Warriors. NLEX, meanwhile, acquired Phoenix's forwards Sean Anthony and Jake Pascual.
But for this time, let's focus on TNT and Chua, the deemed centerpiece of this trade. This move begs the question: Is Chua the missing piece to the Tropang Giga’s championship puzzle?
To answer that question, let’s first take a look at what the former Ateneo big can give his new team. The most obvious benefit to having Chua is the added size he gives, which should come in handy against Ginebra and San Miguel — champions of the last three conferences.
The well-travelled big man, though, is more than just a space eater in the paint. He is actually a solid big, a mix of old school and modern in that he can operate inside and make plays on the perimeter. This versatility makes the 6-6 Chua perfect for Tropang Giga’s free-flowing perimeter-oriented offense that largely eschews the pick-and-roll for the pick-and-pop. And Chua has shown he can score, averaging over 10 points per game in three of the four conferences where he played at least 20 minutes an outing.
Chua is also solid on the defensive end — big and hefty to body up a June Mar Fajardo, but nimble and mobile enough to not be a complete liability on opposing pick-and-rolls. The soft-spoken big man seems to agree:
Getting Chua for seldom-used players is a huge win for the Tropang Giga, as they are adding a stretch four who can play good defense to an already strong core of Mikey Williams, Jayson Castro, RR Pogoy, and Poy Erram. So, yes, it is safe to say Chua’s addition moves TNT closer to San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra. But by how much? We are about to find out soon enough.