(PBA image)
Magnolia is making another import change — and this time, coach LA Tenorio is hoping Clint Chapman can address the one area that has continued to haunt the Hotshots: defense and rebounding.
An undisclosed injury to Nuni Omot forced Magnolia to bring in Chapman as its second replacement import in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, with the veteran reinforcement set to debut Saturday against Macau at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Tenorio revealed that Omot had undergone a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) procedure on his knee even before arriving in the Philippines to replace original import Terrell Brown-Soares, a development that Magnolia only discovered later.
“Hindi siya 100 percent, hindi lang namin masabi,” Tenorio said. “Hindi namin nalaman na before coming here, nagpa-PRP siya ng tuhod. Kaya medyo limited ‘yung galaw niya. Puro jump shot, jump shot lang siya.”
That version of Omot was far from the energetic, all-around player Magnolia expected to get. Tenorio said the team had seen a much more active Omot on full-game tapes before signing him — a player who attacked the boards, moved well, and brought energy on both ends of the floor.
“Nu’ng huli niyang laro na nakita namin, hindi siya ganoon, kaya namin kinuha. May rebounding, very active,” Tenorio added.
Instead, Magnolia got an import who could score but could not provide the kind of physical presence and defensive activity the team badly needed. Omot averaged an impressive 33 points in his three-game stint, but managed just 22 total rebounds during that stretch — numbers that underscored the team’s biggest concern.
For Tenorio, that simply was not enough in a conference where imports are expected to dominate not only offensively, but also in the hustle areas that often decide games.
“Kaya pala ganoon dito, hindi siya 100 percent. May offense naman talaga, pero we cannot wait for him to be 100 percent,” he said.
Tenorio made it clear that Magnolia’s need goes beyond points. With capable local scorers already in place, the Hotshots are looking for an import who can anchor the defense, control the glass, and bring more activity to the floor.
“Kaya lang ako nagpalit ng import, iyun nga, we feel na with his condition, not at 100 percent, he’s affecting the rest of the team. Hindi siya makagalaw ng husto, although nakaka-score. Pero hindi naman ako pang high-scoring import,” Tenorio said.
“Mga locals ko nakaka-score naman. Ang problema, hindi kami nakaka-depensa, rebound, activity sa depensa. Ganu’n mga nagiging problema namin.”
That is where Chapman now comes in.
Fresh from his stint in Lebanon — the same league where Omot last played — Chapman is expected to give Magnolia the muscle, rim protection, and rebounding presence it has been missing. As the Hotshots try to stay competitive in a conference built around towering imports, Chapman’s arrival could be less about putting up big scoring numbers and more about bringing balance to a team desperate for toughness inside.
For Magnolia, the message is clear: the Hotshots do not just need points. They need a fix to the problems that have been holding them back.
