Few players have been as reliable for Tim Cone as Japeth Aguilar. Whether it’s with the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings or Gilas Pilipinas, Aguilar has always responded whenever his number has been called. But then in the Gin Kings’ 2025 Honda PBA Philippine Cup debut against the Terrafirma Dyip, Aguilar took reliability to another level.
As it is the All-Filipino conference, Ginerba won’t be able to tap the services of Justin Brownlee (even if he is a naturalized Filipino under the eyes of FIBA). Brownlee’s absence left a ton of opportunities for his Gin Kings teammates, with Aguilar making the most out of the touches and the space to operate.
The Dyip may have the younger frontcourt, but Aguilar has become a wiser player over the years. He knows when to pick his spots and how to operate against a variety of defenders, most of whom are around four to five inches shorter than he is. As a result, the first overall pick in the 2009 PBA Draft was able to dominate on both ends of the floor to give Ginebra the solid start they needed after another finals loss at the hands of the TNT Tropang Giga.
Losing the finals can be heartbreaking, but to suffer consecutive losses in the championship rounds can be tough to describe. Advancing to the finals allowed the Gin Kings to delay the start of their 2025 Philippine Cup campaign, but the bitter feelings may take longer to disappear. It’s obvious that veterans like Aguilar and Scottie Thompson are leading Ginebra, with RJ Abarrientos wasting no time in helping his veteran teammates.
It’s not often you’ll see Aguilar scoring in the 30s (his career-high, though, is 32 points), but the bigger takeaway from his solid performance against Terrafirma is how he leads by example. There are days when the eight-time PBA champion will need to score points, and there will be times when he needs to be an anchor on defense. Times like these may require him to be both, but there are moments where the 38-year old needs to defer to his teammates and make the simple plays. Being able to do whatever is needed when necessary is something the rest of the team can emulate going forward, especially when titles and not numbers matter the most.
That the Tropang Giga suffered a huge loss to their sister team the NLEX Road Warriors doesn’t really add much to how the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings feel following their opening day win over the Terrafirma Dyip. After all, what matters is how the 2025 Honda PBA Philippine PBA Cup ends.
Japeth Aguilar has taken the lead for the Gin Kings for now and while this is just the start for them, Aguilar has set the tone, showing his teammates winning means doing what is needed on the court.
