PBA: Jeron Teng needs sweet sniping to survive with Aces

Jeron Teng (photo by Peter Paul Baltazar)
Jeron Teng (photo by Peter Paul Baltazar)

Jeron Teng, the bull-strong former DLSU Green Archer who once scored 104 points in a high school game, will need to develop an outside shot if he is to last long in the PBA.

For the Alaska Aces, the fact that Jeron is a learner will help. There is no question he is hard to stop when he forces his way to the basket. Against more prominent players like Beau Belga, JR Quinahan, June Mar Fajardo and so on, converting a high percentage shot up and close will not come easy.

Selected 5th overall in the 2017 PBA Draft, Teng is already groping for form. At 6-foot-2, he can thrive in the open court or slash if his teammates can hit the shots from the outside. The same holds true for Aces who can post up and challenge the defense of opposing teams.

Aces Coach Alex Compton holds high praises for the son of PBA great Alvin Teng. He is the one who revealed how Teng is a learner but whatever the former Xavier star digests needs to render results.

With the Aces or any other future PBA team, Jeron cannot rely on fastbreaks and force his way to the basket. He is a bit undersized, and his height is typically fitted best as a guard. The most he can expect is play the small forward position – one that ideally needs someone to have a decent outside shot.

During his days in DLSU, most noticed how Teng struggled from the outside. Shooting coaches helped him improve his stroke, but more work needs to be done for him to flourish in the pros.

His brother, Jeric, owns a great shot from the outside. Unfortunately, he got lost in transition and found himself looking for a PBA team to consistently stay with.

By now, both Jeron and Jeric may have discussed that fact. It takes a lot to survive in the PBA. At his size, Jeron can flourish and sweeten the Aces campaign. But things can only get sweeter for the 23-year-old if he adds a decent outside shot to make thing more delicious for the Alaska Aces.