Allen Durham returned to the PBA stage for the first time after four years and immediately made an impact for the Meralco Bolts, starring in a 99-94 win over Magnolia to open the Season 49 Governors’ Cup on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 36-year-old reinforcement hammered out a double-double outing of 20 points and 16 rebounds alongside two assists and one steal as the Bolts were off to a good start.
But Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo admitted that Durham has yet to regain his top form as well as his chemistry with his teammates, sharing they only reconvened as a team not too long ago.
“Honestly, we’ve only had maybe six practices and then two tune-up games so we know we’re a bit rusty,” Trillo said.
“But I think this team is also a veteran team, he (Durham) has been with us a long time ago. We know he’s still not in his top form but he was up to the task of finding ways.”
Durham agreed and stressed he also had to make some personal adjustments even if he already had stints before in the league.
“For me, adjusting back to physicality. I’m not as young as I used to be so I got to find a way to maneuver or stuff like that,” Durham said.
“I’ll get back to my form and we’ll be better and better as the conference goes on.”
That was the case when Durham struggled from the field in the first half, scoring just three points on 1-of-6 shooting percentage before he ignited in the second half.
But the three-time Best Import said familiarity with his old teammates was instrumental in allowing himself to somehow top-score the squad still.
“Coming back here, it felt right. The only difference now is we got experience,” he said.
“Everybody’s focused so no matter what point in the game, we never get too high, we never get too low.”
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
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