PBA: Jerom Lastimosa takes positives from career performance despite Magnolia's QF exit

Jerom Lastimosa walked away disappointed after his career night ended with Magnolia crashing out of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup, but the breakout performance still felt like a major step forward for the young guard.

The 27-year-old guard breathed life into the Hotshots late in the do-or-die quarterfinal clash against Meralco. He unleashed a personal 6-0 run that turned an 81-84 deficit into an 87-85 lead for Magnolia in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter before burying a triple that gave them a slim 90-89 advantage.

Bong Quinto answered with a long bomb of his own, but Lastimosa sank a layup with 9.6 seconds left to force overtime. Lastimosa also scored all of Magnolia's 10 points in the extra period, but Quinto and the rest of the Bolts proved steadier in the endgame to escape with a 105-102 win and punch a semifinals ticket.

Lastimosa’s combined 21 points in the fourth quarter and overtime helped him finish with a career-high 28 points on top of four rebounds and two assists, but they were not enough as Magnolia bowed out of contention.

Still, Lastimosa chose to look at the bigger picture, believing the loss is only the start of even better things ahead for him.

"Siguro learnings na rin para sa akin. Hindi naman mawawala ‘yung learnings sa mga players eh, kahit bata pa or matanda, ‘yung learnings darating ‘yun," Lastimosa told reporters on Saturday at the Ynares Center Antipolo.

"Nakukuha ko na ‘yung trust ni coach LA [Tenorio] and masaya lang and blessed na gano’n si coach LA, binibigyan niya ako ng green light to make the plays."

While his teammates have long believed in him, Lastimosa also earned praise from his Meralco counterpart, Chris Newsome.

Lastimosa and Newsome were both part of the 'Redeem Team' of Gilas Pilipinas that reclaimed the gold medal during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia. That’s why Newsome knew Lastimosa was capable of delivering a breakout performance on the big stage.

"He's someone I know pretty well. I knew from that moment when he was at Adamson that he's gonna be a tough kid in the league, and he's proving it every single conference, every single night out," Newsome said.

"And you can see that his team trusts him as well. Sky's the limit for him. He shows that he's capable of doing things in crunch time, which is commendable because he's willing to put that on his shoulders at such a young age. He's just gonna learn and keep getting better."

—JKC, GMA News