MANILA, Philippines – In the vicinity of Barangay Ginebra, Tim Cone is becoming increasingly willing to place confidence in THE FIRST-TIME PLAYER Raphael Cu.

Because from the beginning looking forward to Jamie Malonzo being out due to injury, the 6-foot-4 rookie was playing a significant amount of time with the Kings in the Kings’ thrilling comeback, their triumph with Blackwater depending on Sunday, winning 90 to 87.

Cone appears to be pleased in accordance with what he saw, based on appearances.

The winning trainer praised Cu for providing actions that weren’t in particular shown appearing on the measurement data sheet as well as assisted the Kings, which was discovered in overcoming a 17-point deficit spending at the beginning of the half to secure a victory three games in the past four years as well as tie Phoenix along with Meralco for second place in the standings.

Given that he was the team’s second-round selection (number 23 as a whole) according to the previous inaugural rookie preliminary version, Ralph has a terrific act to acquire a guy arriving from as a reserve player. Cone described him as a super nice guy. “Ultimately, we adore everything about Ralph.”

Cu made history in his early professional career when he entered the court from the replacement bench in place of Malonzo, who was sidelined due to a wrist injury. In his over 17 minutes of action, the longest in his short career, Cu had to help Barangay Ginebra in their endeavors.

Even though Cu was 0 for 2 from the free-throw line and could not score, he demonstrated his skill in other ways. In addition to grabbing two offensive rebounds, he worked with other big guys to establish defensive dominance against the Bossing. Coach Cone praised Cu’s remarkable court awareness and decision-making, highlighting his special skills.

Cu, while being a relatively new addition to the starting lineup, has experience playing with the Kings’ PBA 3×3 team, where he was coached by Kirk Collier. Cone highlighted Cu’s shooting prowess and his ability to make wise decisions, especially when it came to defense.

Coach Cone stated that he is confident in giving Cu more playing time as the rookie forward continues to fit into the Ginebra lineup, especially after his encouraging performance. Cone believes Cu will play a bigger part and become a more noticeable player on the court. Looking ahead, Ginebra, the 65-year-old mentor, views Cu as a more crucial component of the team’s gameplay and strategy.