Barangay Ginebra have plenty of players capable of creating offence, but they become an even more difficult team to defend when Stephen Holt is prepared to take his opportunities.
That was particularly evident in Ginebra's emphatic 126-99 victory over San Miguel in Game 2 of their PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup quarterfinal series at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Friday evening, when they exploited the Beermen's pressure points possession after possession.
Jordan Murphy was unstoppable in the paint, finishing with 33 points on 77.8% shooting inside the arc while earning an extraordinary 21 trips to the free-throw line. RJ Abarrientos continued to provide a scoring threat, adding 22 points and six assists, while Scottie Thompson stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists.
But Holt's contribution was particularly important in giving Ginebra another dimension offensively.
Holt finished with 19 points on an excellent 105.6 true shooting percentage, knocking down five of his six attempts from beyond the arc. Ginebra boasted an 8-2 mark when Holt scored 10 points or more in their Commissioner's Cup title run, and that is a great indicator of the team's success when he looks for his shots.
The efficiency is impressive, but the willingness behind those attempts is just as important.
There are stretches when Holt can become a little too hesitant offensively, passing up clean looks in favor of another swing or an extra pass. That might seem like a small decision, but it affects Ginebra's offensive threat.
When Holt is prepared to punish defenses for leaving him open at the wing or at the corner, the floor becomes considerably wider for everyone else. Opponents cannot afford to load up on Murphy's interior scoring, crowd Abarrientos' space to operate on ball screens, or send extra bodies toward Thompson without accounting for Holt on the perimeter.
The former Rookie of the Year's shooting forces the defense to make a choice, and that half-second of hesitation can be all Ginebra needs to create an advantage.
Holt's value, however, extends well beyond his offensive contribution.
His defensive versatility and willingness to take on difficult assignments have consistently made him an important part of Ginebra's defensive structure. He can pressure the ball, navigate screens and make life uncomfortable for opposing wings and imports.
That responsibility was on full display against San Miguel import George King, with Holt taking on the challenge of making one of the Beermen's primary offensive weapons work hard for his points.
King has averaged 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 54.4 TS% in the opening two games of the quarterfinals series, a far cry from his 65.6 TS% in the eliminations.
The Gin Kings produced a collective effort to prevent King from finding a rhythm, something Ginebra head coach Tim Cone made sure to credit after the game. Holt, Murphy and Troy Rosario all took turns making life difficult for the San Miguel import, while the pressure also complicated the Beermen's offensive priorities.
"You got to give Stephen a lot of credit," Cone said.
"Stephen guarded him the most then Jordan did and Troy, so it was a nice tag team on him.
"It's kind of difficult at times for them because they don't know whether they want to go to June Mar [Fajardo], for their import, or CJay [Perez]."
This is what makes this version of Holt so valuable to Ginebra. Sometimes, Ginebra simply needs Holt to take the open three, stay aggressive, and make the other team's best scorer earn every inch.
Against San Miguel, he did all three.