Orton dazzles, dunks, and dances in Purefoods debut

MANILA, Philippines – Nothing could stop import Daniel Orton from making a good first impression for Purefoods and its dedicated fan base in his first game Wednesday, February 11 versus NLEX.

Whether it was blowing by defenders, blocking shots, or slamming home thunderous dunks, Orton pushed all the right buttons, making everybody happy from head coach Tim Cone, the players, to the spectators. 

But it wasn’t his highlight reel plays that left a lasting mark, it was his jovial and colorful persona on the court that stood out, as he radiated positive energy and enamored his teammates.

The 24-year old was unafraid to display his personality right away, amusing the crowd, the bench, and even the broadcast commentators with some dancing and mock refereeing at the end of the third quarter.

“I like to have fun. You gotta have fun with basketball,” Orton said of his antics. 

“One of my teammates was telling me to go out and have fun. So it’s something you have to do. We play this game, we love it. You gotta have fun with it, otherwise you’re gonna get tired of it.”

Orton credits his quick and easy transition into the team and the league to fellow import Marqus Blakely, whom Purefoods tapped to fill in for the first 3 games as Orton finished his Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) commitment.

Blakely, who has always been with the franchise for the season-ending Governors’ Cup for the last 3 years and will be their import next conference, used his one-month contract not only to help the Hotshots achieve early momentum but also to ensure Orton eased smoothly into Cone’s system. 

“He helped me a lot. He talked to me a lot and got me along faster than I probably should have been,” Orton said, adding that Blakely left some very big shoes for him to fill.

“Oh man, I mean he’s a great player. He did everything he could. And Purefoods fans knew what to expect from him. They knew what they were gonna get,” he explained how Blakely’s performance challenges him to meet the standard.

“These guys know how to play with him so they all play really well. Thankfully we got a great start. I was kind of nervous about matching Marqus’ great play. And hopefully the fans are happy with it and I came close.”

He certainly was very close. Cone himself was all praises for the 6-foot-9 athletic big man who was a first round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

“It was quite rewarding to see Daniel come out and play so well with so much enthusiasm and energy,” the 18-time champion coach said.

“The skills are unquestioned, the size is unquestioned. He’s showed us that he’s happy to be here, he’s happy to be with his teammates and he’s ready to come out here and play. He sent a real nice message to his teammates.”

For Orton, transitioning from the CBA to the PBA in such a short amount of time was not as difficult as everyone else might have expected.

“The guys out here are really good, they really know how to play basketball. Everyone says it’s a physical league and that’s true. And everyone’s worried about my adjustments to this league but the CBA is very physical basketball too,” shared the former Oklahoma City Thunder center who scored 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and rejected 3 shots in the 87-62 rout of NLEX.

“There’s a lot of great athletes and a lot of great players in the CBA that surprised me. It’s the same thing transitioning here. It hasn’t been much of an adjustment, it’s just more so adjusting to my team.” 

In just over a week with Purefoods, Orton has proven he is tailor-fit for last season’s Grand Slam champions.

He’s shown he can anchor the team defensively, dutifully manning the paint and cleaning the glass. The Hotshots going +30 the entire 32 minutes Orton was on the floor is evidence of that.

NLEX import Al Thornton and local big Asi Taulava were neutralized in that game not solely by Orton but in large part because of him. Orton’s presence underneath at the very least altered shots as he left Thornton slumping to just 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field after a 39-point explosion against Alaska previously.

Orton is also comfortable with the ball passing through him, as Purefoods’ triangle requires swinging the ball around in search of the best available shot. As a result, he added 3 assists to his statline.

“I’ve only been here a little bit, trying to watch and learn as much as I can. As you can see I get lost in the triangle a lot out there but we find ways to make it work,” the NBA veteran explained.

“As you can see my teammates talk to me a lot and they’re getting me integrated really well. They’re really doing a great job.”

The acid test for Orton will come on Saturday, February 14 when he clashes with the aggressive Rain or Shine in a bid to protect Purefoods’ immaculate 4-0 slate.

It’s only been one game, but Orton already made sure nobody will forget his name, and his face, any time soon. – Rappler.com