Chris McCullough did not hide from the struggles of his TNT debut. Instead, he treated it as only the beginning.
Thrown into a pressure-packed semifinal series with barely any time to adjust, the former San Miguel import admitted he is still far from the version of himself PBA fans once feared — a reality he believes should worry the rest of the league once he finally settles in.
After TNT absorbed a 101-90 loss to Meralco in Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals on Wednesday night, McCullough made it clear that rust, not readiness, defined his first game back in the league.
“I haven’t played basketball in 13 days — this is my first time picking up a basketball in 13 days,” he said after the defeat at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“So I’m still getting my rhythm, still getting my flow. But once I get going, it will be scary.”
The warning came after a mixed opening performance that showed flashes of the high-scoring reinforcement TNT hopes can help carry them back to the Finals following the devastating injury to Bol Bol.
McCullough still produced 24 points and nine rebounds despite obvious timing issues, shooting just 7-of-22 from the field while missing all five of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Yet even amid the inefficiency, there were signs of life.
The 31-year-old forward slowly found his footing in the second half, where he scored 17 of his total points as TNT tried to erase a growing Meralco lead.
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For stretches, the Tropang 5G looked close to pulling off another comeback behind McCullough’s aggressiveness attacking the basket and earning trips to the foul line, where he converted 10 of 15 attempts.
But Meralco simply had fresher legs late in the game.
CJ Cansino, Javee Mocon, and Cliff Hodge delivered the key plays down the stretch as the Bolts tied the series at 2-2 and spoiled McCullough’s return.
Even so, the veteran import sounded more focused on long-term adjustment than immediate frustration.
With less than 48 hours before the pivotal Game 5, McCullough emphasized that his biggest task now is building chemistry with a TNT team he has barely practiced with since arriving in Manila.
“Chemistry is regular. I know some of the guys,” he said.
“I’ve only had two days of practice, so tomorrow, we’re gonna work on some things, see what works, and come back Friday.”
For TNT, that may be the most important takeaway from Game 4 — not what McCullough currently is, but what he could become once the rust fully disappears.
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