Seeking improvement, Mamuyac works on jumper as PBA 50 looms
There are parts of Gian Mamuyac’s shooting that look broken—the parts that held him to modest shooting splits in the recent PBA Philippine Cup.
But there are certainly more parts that don’t need fixing: He is one of Rain or Shine’s go-to guys on offense and he delivers on that end as much as he does defensively.
But the two-way star doesn’t want to remain stuck on what he is doing, and has been working on something quite peculiar during the Elasto Painters’ offseason.
While some athletes aim to polish their skills on both offense and defense after a long and tiring season, Mamuyac decided to overhaul his shooting form before Season 50 gets underway.
“It’s been pretty hard. It’s not just hard physically because with it comes the mental struggle. Of course, it’s a start, so struggles are normal,” Mamuyac told the PBA Press Corps in its meeting with agency Titan Management Group last Thursday.
“You’ll miss some shots but you’ll really need the mental toughness to stick with it and trust your work. I just hope I can show it next conference.”
Mamuyac doesn’t really need a reboot of his jump shot. Sure, he hit just 37 percent of his attempts from the field in the all-Filipino tournament, including a mere 15.9 percent from beyond the arc. But instead of just sharpening his shooting, he is restructuring his entire form.
Instead of sticking to his jump shot, where he releases the ball on a higher base, the two-way guard said he’s trying to make jumpers with more fluidity.
Mamuyac’s new jumper may chip at his 12.26 points per game last conference, but it’s a risk he’s willing to take.
“Coach Yeng (Guiao) told me to make some self-assessment and we assessed that my shot needs work so I asked for professional help and advice,” he said, after a conference where he helped the Elasto Painters to a semifinals finish, falling short against TNT in the Philippine Cup.
And he’s throwing in a lot more adjustments to the rest of his game before the season starts in October.
The dynamic guard, who also posted 3.63 rebounds and 2.79 assists a night, said he’s also working on the intangibles to fuel Rain or Shine for the upcoming Philippine Cup.
“I have a lot to fix and I made sure to do that this offseason. I really put in the work and hopefully, I get to show it in the upcoming season,” he said.
