San Miguel's Allyn Bulanadi celebrates with CJ Perez after scoring against Phoenix Super LPG. PBA Images.
MANILA, Philippines -- Allyn Bulanadi made an immediate impact for San Miguel in his debut for the franchise, just a few short weeks after he was traded to the Beermen.
It was a move that admittedly caught the swingman off-guard: San Miguel had sent Paul Zamar and a second round pick to NorthPort in exchange for the San Sebastian College product last January 5. A day before, NorthPort had acquired Bulanadi from Converge, in exchange for Jerrick Balanza.
"Hindi ko ine-expect 'yun," said Bulanadi of the trade. "Unang-una naman is acceptance. 'Yun lang siguro. Then move on, back to work."
Despite having been with San Miguel for less than a month, Bulanadi made his presence felt in their first game of the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup last Sunday. Against Phoenix Super LPG, he came off the bench to score 16 points on top of three rebounds in an 18-minute stint.
The Beermen won comfortably, riding a 42-point first quarter en route to a 114-93 romp of the Fuel Masters.
Afterward, Bulanadi credited the veterans in San Miguel for helping him make a seamless transition into the squad.
"Sa practice every day, andiyan naman ang mga kuya," said Bulanadi, who can now call the likes of June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross, and Marcio Lassiter as his teammates. "Every day, naghahanap ako ng paraan pano ako makasabay sa kanila eh."
"Tinuturuan nila ako every day. Gina-guide naman nila ako kung paano gagawin," he added.
SMB head coach Jorge Gallent praised Bulanadi after his debut, although he was not surprised to see the forward contribute immediately. Bulanadi made half of his 12 field goals in the game, including three of seven three-pointers.
"Allyn's always been a shooter. When we played against him against Converge, he was just doing the same things there. And he's just doing the same things here," said Gallent. "So I'm very happy for his game as well as a San Miguel Beerman, and I just hope he keeps it up."
Bulanadi vowed to build on his debut, saying that he was "extra motivated" for the conference.
"Hindi pa naman ako contented," he added. "Gusto ko pang madagdagan 'yung performance ko para sa next game."
A former Gilas Pilipinas cadet, Bulanadi averaged 4.4 points in nine games for Converge in the Commissioner's Cup.
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