Sans Fajardo, Romeo: SMB Need to Find Different Ways to Win

June Mar Fajardo has gone from a dominant force down low to a virtual fan. Terrence Romeo has already made his exit following a shoulder injury. The defending champions are already facing challenges they haven't faced in a long while and it's all happening in a challenging time when the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup is being played inside a bubble in Clark.

Jump Thru Hoops returned with its tenth episode on Tuesday with Aaron Atayde and Jino Rufino spending the entire episode talking about what is going on inside the PBA bubble and one of the questions that they tried to find answers is this: Are the six-peat seeking San Miguel Beermen in trouble without Fajardo and Romeo?

Aaron Atayde began by reiterating that "You don't know what's gonna happen inside the bubble" Atayde then continued, "Yes, they've been hit by injuries of certifiably top two players on their team are no longer gonna be able to play. Terrence Romeo is now out of the bubble. Abay (June Mar Fajardo) is in the virtual stands watching. But, I still think that there's still so much talent on this team. The main concern is not gonna be the players. I think when it comes to San Miguel, the main concern will be how much they can get out of Coach Leo Austria" 

Jinno Rufino then asked, "What makes you say that Coach Leo will be tested inside the bubble?" 

Atayde pointed out, "Because this is the first time that he's going to have to find different ways to win (without Fajardo and Romeo)"  He added, "Now, you're gonna have to rely on players like Arwind (Santos) to come out big every single game. You're gonna have to rely on Chris Ross who is a warrior. This is gonna be a great opportunity for guys that maybe thought they have a bigger role on this line-up and this is your time to show it"

In the Beeermen's first win inside the bubble last Monday, four of Coach Leo Austria's starters scored in double figures led by Moala Tautuaa's 25 points. Arwind Santos finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds while Marcio Lassiter had 18 points. Paul Zamar added 11 points as a starter while Von Pessumal scored 17 points off the bench. If anything, this proves that the Beermen are indeed a team that still loaded with so much talent. 

Screenshot is from pinoyliga.com Facebook page