If there's anything that basketball history has taught us, it's that battle-tested, championship-caliber teams eventually figure it out.

There's little reason to believe that this year's Barangay Ginebra core does not fit into that category. The defending All-Filipino champions have yet to really get going in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup, but the talent and experience present in the roster should be enough to eventually offset an uneven 2-2 start to the year.


This all might not even matter once the schedule restarts and as Ginebra gets more matches under its belt, because a four-game sample size isn't enough to determine how the team will look like later on in the conference. But the journey to the end goal matters, and the Gin Kings' chances of winning it all at the end of the tournament really depend on how they approach some of their early struggles right before the games begin again.

As the case has been for most teams, coach Tim Cone and the rest of the team have some things working their way, and some things they'll need to continue sorting out. Here's a look at both.

(Editor's note: Numbers are courtesy of Stats by Ryan on DribbleMedia.com, a collection of advanced stats for the PBA that uses up-to-date totals and formulas from both NBA.com/Stats and Basketball Reference, as well as other independent hoops websites.)

The Good: There doesn't seem to be a lot of rust on LA Tenorio

Tenorio never fails to show up.

Shooting has been a problem for most players in this conference, but that just hasn't been the case for the six-time champion, who has exhibited great balance between shooting and playmaking at a time where struggles have been plenty for everyone.

Tenorio has put up 15.3 points on 45.1/39.3/80 splits to go with 5.5 assists (sixth in PBA) and 3.5 rebounds in 38.1 minutes, all while easily distinguishing himself from his peers. The passing is still there and will almost surely be the first thing anyone will talk about, but the careful shotmaking is noteworthy. His true shooting percentage - the measure of total shooting efficiency of a player taking into account the cumulative value of field goals, three-pointers, and free throws - stands at 57.3, both a team-high mark and the second-best among 14 players averaging more than 15 points.

Ginebra has never really been a three-point shooting team (28.8 attempts are the third-lowest right now), but that hasn't prevented Tenorio from putting up a lot of those. They haven't been bad shots, either, as his 39.3 percent clip from deep leads all those who have attempted seven a game.

"You're right, the four games are a small sample size. It's curious how poor the shooting has been league-wide. Maybe because the Ynares gym [in Pasig] was so unfamiliar for everyone," Cone told ESPN5. "But truly good shooters can shoot well everywhere, and LA has developed into one of the premiere shooters in the league."

"He does so much else that his shooting really isn't talked about, and of course, we're not a prolific 3-point shooting team, so LA doesn't get the volume of other premiere shooters around the league," Cone continued. "But that's also why his TS% is high because he's not only a great shooter, but a selective one, and that's what makes him so great in our system."

What's just as meaningful is the fact that Tenorio is doing this while playing alongside stars who warrant a lot of touches, too - particularly Stanley Pringle, who's had the highest usage rate among Gin Kings so far. Pringle is averaging a team-high 18.3 points on 46.9 percent shooting, including a sizzling 61.9 percent inside the arc, but his TS% (52.7) is pulled down by his shooting from three-point range, where he has made only 4-of-22 (18.1 percent) shots.

The Not-So-Good: Both offense and defense are not up to last year's standard just yet


Yes, the sample size of four games is very small. The returns, however, indicate that Ginebra has a lot of work to do before reaching the form that earned them the title last year.

First, the offense. The shooting percentages don't matter because everyone has not been hitting at their usual rate, but Ginebra is just producing 94.9 points per 100 possessions (eighth) - far from the top-five offense (104) that carried them to a title inside the "bubble" last year. The team is actually generating more possessions (88.8) this year compared to last year (86.1); it's just the shots haven't gone in a lot.

Cone says there's really not a lot to read into it. "Simply, we just struggled ... Certainly, unfamiliarity with the rims and the floor was a part of it."

Ginebra has also given up more points than scored after four games, and the team's defensive rating (98.2) currently sits at eighth. A good chunk of the problems may be attributed to rotational lapses on certain schemes that probably haven't been tested as much due to the lack of preseason matchups.

"Again, very small sample size is correct," Cone remarked. "I think it's important to remember that the teams didn't have any preseason games and that really hurts preparation. It is there that you get to experiment with different combinations and types of defenses, and you have a chance to correct bad habits. We're doing that on the fly now in games, which is much harder.

"For us, it's patience," the two-time Grand Slam coach furthered. "We really want to win the conference, but even more importantly, we don't want to try to shortcut our way to winning. That never works in the long term and we are always a forward-looking team. I have confidence that we'll work it out in time."

What to Watch: Christian Standhardinger's continued adjustments

Standhardinger hasn't looked like his usual dominant self just yet after his first four games in a Ginebra jersey, where he has averaged 11.3 points on 40 percent shooting - including just 56.5 percent on free throws - 13.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.8 turnovers in 36 minutes.

A peek at the team's film shows that Standhardinger is still in the process of adjusting into the Ginebra system - and vice versa. The good reads that he frequently makes aren't quite there yet, the paint often feels cramped when he tries to attack the basket, and the perceived versatility that could make him a viable defender on the perimeter when the situation calls for it hasn't really popped out much. Standhardinger, a ground-bound big man who doesn't really block a lot of shots, will probably offer more in the way of defense as he gets more time alongside high-flying shotblocker Japeth Aguilar, but the fit has looked janky at times early on.

All in due time, though, according to Cone -- and there's really no reason to believe otherwise.

"It's not only about Christian fitting into the system and his teammates, but about understanding what we can do to fit the system to Christian and how his teammates can help him along," he explained. "There's a balance there that we need to discover and that will take time and certainly some struggles. But he's the kind of player that can lift us to a new level when we get things figured out, so we're all ready to be patient."

While the start hasn't been ideal, the many-time champion mentor still sees a lot to like about the always upbeat Standhardinger and the team itself.

"I like our chemistry and I like our work ethic. We know we're not playing particularly well yet, but you don't see any discouragement in practice or in team settings," he shared. "I like the way Christian is making a huge effort to get along with his teammates and his support for them. I like the way the rookies, Ken (Sagulo) and Brian (Enriquez), are coming along. There's really a lot to like, but just not our record. We stay the course, however, the results will come."