At this early stage of his career, rookie Felix Lemetti of Rain or Shine is now drawing comparison to PBA great Jimmy Alapag.
Similar to Alapag, one of the finest guards ever produced by Asia’s pioneering professional basketball league, Lemetti made a good first impression with his accurate three-point shooting, while also displaying steadiness in his quarterbacking duties.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao sees these similarities on his prized guard and one of the best players ever to play not just in the PBA, but also with Gilas Pilipinas.
“Very similar, except that Felix is bigger, but the way Felix shoots those three-point shots somehow reminds us of how Alapag plays,” said Guiao. “He’s not as vocal as Jimmy as Felix is a quiet person, especially outside the basketball court, but inside the hardcourt, he also commands respect like Jimmy.”
In just five games playing for the Elasto Painters, Lemetti had shown the making of a star.
He was the first rookie to complete a four-point play – a three-point shot and a bonus charity conversion – and played the hero’s role in Rain or Shine’s win against Ginebra.
Against San Miguel Beer, he had an opportunity of reaffirming his heroic performance and came close to doing so when he completed four free throw shots after picking up a foul from veteran guard Chris Ross until eight-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo denied the newcomer of yet another defining moment when the 6-foot-10 center knocked in the game-winning jumper and dealt the Elasto Painters their first ever loss of the season.
Guiao doesn’t want to put pressure on Lemetti at this early part of his career, but the seven-time champion coach is convinced there’s a tremendous upside on the newcomer guard.
“We don’t want to go out of our boundaries and Felix knows it. He’s matured enough even though he’s a rookie,” added Guiao. “Much will be expected on him with the impact that he had shown this early and fans would demand for more good games, but we want to manage those expectations.”
Guiao is more than satisfied at how Lemetti has been performing.
Picked eighth overall in the draft, Lemetti raised eyebrows when he was selected this early by Rain or Shine, but he had proven himself with big games and more impactful performances that can be seen beyond the numbers.
He has been a consistent fixture in the stacked guard line up of the Elasto Painters roster and has proven himself as a huge asset while sharing the minutes with Anton Asistio, Andrei Caracut and Adrian Nocum.
There’s no sense of panic on Lemetti as he was cool and calculating, traits that are rare for a rookie guard.
Rain or Shine has just hit the jackpot in the Rookie Draft – and Lemetti is turning out to be the biggest steal so far.
Whether he would end up as a star like Alapag in the future is still long, long way to go, but at least he’s showing up a glimpse of potential much like ‘The Mighty Mouse.’
