Ginebra Gin Kings forward Japeth Aguilar is looking forward to teaming up with Filipino-German standout Christian Standhardinger when they suit up for the upcoming season of the PBA.
In a virtual press conference after the launch of the new Ginebra jersey, the veteran Aguilar recalled playing with Standhardinger before in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup held in Lebanon as part of Gilas Pilipinas.
“Really looking forward to it. Nagkaroon na kami ng chance to play together. 'Yun nga nung nag-play sa Lebanon. Maganda naman 'yung kinalabasan ng tournament namin na 'yun,” Aguilar said.
But despite sharing the court with the top overall pick in the 2017 PBA draft years ago, Aguilar acknowledged the need to work on their chemistry in Ginebra, which is defending their All-Filipino Cup title.
“There's still a lot of work to be done,” he briefly said.
Ginebra acquired Standhardinger from NorthPort after trading big man Greg Slaughter last March.
In a separate interview, multi-titled coach Tim Cone last week said his team not only received a great player but also a great leader.
Cone has already worked with Standhardinger in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, and believes that he and Aguilar will form a tremendous partnership in the Ginebra frontcourt.
"Christian has been really receptive to what we're doing," said Cone during an appearance on "The Chasedown" recently.
"Mostly I see him right now in Zoom meetings, but he's active in those Zoom meetings," he added.
Cone also expressed confidence that Aguilar and Standhardinger will mesh well for the Gin Kings, as he sees their games complementing each other.
"I think they'll be able to play a lot of minutes together, and not give each other breaks once in a while,” the coach quipped.
The two players had stellar performances during the PBA bubble where Standhardinger averaged 19.9 points and 12.0 rebounds for NorthPort, while Aguilar tallied 15.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game for the Gin Kings.
Last Thursday, Barangay Ginebra formally released its “Bagong Tapang” jersey, their playing uniforms in the upcoming PBA season.