Ginebra's Scottie Thompson. Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau.

MANILA – After establishing himself as one of the best rebounders in the PBA regardless of position, Ginebra guard Scottie Thompson has seen a change in how other teams are playing him.

Despite standing at just 6-foot-1, Thompson is fourth-leading rebounder in the PBA in the ongoing Philippine Cup. He norms 10.4 boards per game, behind San Miguel's June Mar Fajardo (16 rebounds per game), Rain or Shine's Raymond Almazan (11.6 rpg), and NLEX's Sean Anthony (10.7 rpg) – all front-court players.

He tallied back-to-back games with 16 points and 15 rebounds against Meralco and Blackwater, respectively, but since then, Thompson has been "limited' to eight boards in both of Ginebra's past two games. Phoenix, who beat them 79-73 last week, made it a point to limit his impact on the glass.

Against the NLEX Road Warriors on Sunday, Thompson again had eight rebounds, but he spiked his production with 11 points and nine assists for a near triple-double.

"Di ko talaga alam na ganoon pala ang stats ko," Thompson said after Ginebra completed a comeback from 17 points down for a 90-80 victory, which gave them a berth in the quarterfinals.

Thompson said he made a point of finding LA Tenorio every time down, as the veteran point guard was in a rhythm. Tenorio had a conference-high 30 points in the game.

When asked about the dip in his rebounding numbers, Thompson acknowledged that teams are now wising up to his exceptional timing and instincts on the glass.

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"Ramdam ko 'yung bugbog," he admitted. "Talagang every cut, talagang bina-bump nila ako, pisikal sila sa akin."

However, despite the bumps and bruises that he collects, Thompson has no intention of changing the playing style that has made him a fan favorite among the 'Barangay.'

"Ako naman, ready lang ako lagi," he said. "Hindi magbabago ang game ko. Stay focused pa rin."

Besides, even if teams are sending multiple players to box him out, Thompson still finds a way to grab rebounds. In one memorable instance in the fourth quarter, the sophomore guard flew in from seemingly out of nowhere to grab an errant shot by Tenorio and put the ball in the hoop in just one motion, beating the shot-clock buzzer in the process.

He downplayed his highlight reel play, saying: "Nag-cut ako, sakto pagtira niya, nakita ko ang bola, kapos. Nagkataon lang talaga na tinalon ko, tapos tinira ko, wala ng time, so ayun."

Perhaps what is missing from Thompson's game is aggression on offense. He still takes only 7.4 shots per game, and averages 8.2 points per contest on 34.6% shooting from the field.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone has memorably said that he sees Thompson someday putting up numbers similar to Oklahoma City's prolific Russell Westbrook, which will require the guard to have more of a take-charge attitude when it comes to scoring.

"Hindi madali kasi unang-una, ang daming scorers sa amin," Thompson said of this change in mindset.

"Gusto ni Coach Tim na maging aggressive din ako sa opensa. Dina-dahan-dahan ko," he explained. "'Di ko naman minamadali. Ang sa akin lang, 'yung game ko, sa hustle play talagang hindi ko babaguhin 'yun."

"I-a-add ko na lang 'yung aggressiveness sa offense," he said.

As for putting up Westbrook numbers? "Mahirap 'yun pero wala namang imposible. Pag-trabahuhan lang, tsaka sana, healthy lang lagi," said Thompson.

Westbrook is currently averaging a triple-double of 31.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game for the Thunder.

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