(Photo taken from insidesports.ph)Now don't get me wrong here. I'm not hating on the kid. In fact, I'll be the first to salivate over Aguilar's tremendous upside.
But the hype generated by the media over his US NCAA stint is simply insane. The moment he was accepted into the Hilltopers roster, he was already being penciled in as NBA material.
Creating hope for the millions of basketball-crazy Filipinos is one thing. Creating a myth is another.
So before we proclaim "savior" now that he's back to try out for the National Team, let's also not forget a few facts, shall we?
First, the former Blue Eagle was often injured in his 2-year stint at WKU (he actually spent 3 years there but was reshirted in his first year). This could have prevented him from reaching his full potential as he was only able to play a grand total of 17 games, while barely logging double digits in minutes.
Second, for all the talks of him bulking up in the States, he remains reed thin. For someone who plays forward/center, he sure could use at least 10 more pounds.
Third, despite his superior athleticism, amazing hops, and impressive wingspan, his offensive game still needs a lot of tweaking. The 6'9-phenom has a natural flair for defense, particularly in blocking shots, but until he adds a go-to move in his arsenal, and perhaps, a more consistent perimeter game, he's not going to be as dominant as people imagined him to be.
The good thing despite all these, is that Aguilar is only 22. He still has lots of time to build on his game and be the player the media is touting him to be.
But it also wouldn't hurt to keep our expectations a bit more grounded.
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