The Singapore Slingers are out to build momentum after securing their first win of the season in their last game against the Macau Wolf Warriors as they now go on the road to face the Taipei Fubon Braves.
Although they are the newest team in the ABL, the Braves are no pushovers as they have a proud tradition. They’ve built a 4-3 record so far but they are impressive at home where they’ve compiled a 3-1 tally.
Anchored on the talented OJ Mayo and the hard-working Charles Garcia, the Braves are a threat to any team in the league, especially when their locals get their scoring going.
Together, Mayo and Garcia are good for at least 40 points per game for Fubon and now they’ve added another threat into their squad in Maxie Esho, who replaces Sim Bhullar. The giant was a factor whenever he was on the floor but the problem was that his minutes had to be managed because of nagging injuries. This would not be a problem with the entry of Esho as now they can play all of their three imports together for long stretches.
Esho is a name that is very familiar to Singapore fans as he was named the Finals Most Valuable Player when he led the BTN CLS Knights Indonesia to the ABL title against the Slingers last season.
For Singapore, there is a lot of pressure on the starters to play well. With not a lot of offense being generated by their bench, it’s almost a requirement for all of the Slingers’ starters to score in double digits.
The good thing for the Slingers is that they have four starters who are almost automatic double-doubles in points and rebounds. Xavier Alexander (24.5 and 12.0), Anthony McClain (22.0 and 13.5), Delvin Goh (11.0 and 9.5) and Marcus Elliott (13.0 and 9.0) are all capable of pouring in the numbers but they also need Leon Kwek to get back into his old form. The returning Slinger only averaged 5.0 points in his first two games and has only grabbed a single rebound in a combined 54 minutes of play.
