MANILA, Philippines – Paul Varilla proved to be an X factor as TNT became the first team to beat Converge in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

The seldom-used forward finished with 12 points and 4 rebounds to help the Tropang Giga pull off a 128-122 win over the FiberXers on Wednesday, February 8.

His performance drew huge praise from TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa and import Jalen Hudson, who admitted that he is a fan of the former University of the East standout.

“Paul was awesome tonight. Paul is Jalen’s favorite player. He always tells me, ‘Coach, put Paul in.’ I’m sick and tired of hearing him, ‘Put Paul in, put Paul in.’ He was huge tonight,” Lastimosa said.

“He does his job well and he’s smart. He doesn’t get into the offense of the other guys, so it’s nice to have a player like him.”

Acquired from NLEX through a three-team trade prior to the conference, Varilla saw action for just 25:30 minutes combined in his first four games for the Tropang Giga.

But with the prodding of Hudson, Lastimosa played Varilla for nearly 20 minutes against Converge and he responded with his best outing in a TNT uniform.

Varilla recorded a plus-minus of +8 as the Tropang Giga improved to 4-1.

“Me and Paul match up every day in practice. So I know what type of physicality he can play with. I know what type of defense he does. I know it’s tough to score on him,” said Hudson, who erupted for 56 points in the win.

“In this league, he’s a tough defender. He can move laterally, he’s strong. He contests without fouling,” added Hudson. “He comes in, he can pick the team up immediately. So I’m a fan of him, I really am.”

Varilla looks to get ample playing time anew as TNT shoots for its third straight win when it battles Terrafirma on Saturday, February 11, at the Mall of Asia Arena. – Rappler.com