Tim Cone believes June Mar Fajardo could make waves in NBA Summer League

Fresh from a scouting trip to Las Vegas, Tim Cone had a lot of stories to tell about his experience watching the NBA Summer League.

The veteran coach, who was formally named as Barangay Ginebra's newest mentor on Thursday, talked about Ray Parks in particular as curious reporters asked about the Fil-Am hopeful's stint with the Dallas Mavericks.

Surprisingly, Cone also mentioned one player who did not even set foot in the United States - PBA's back-to-back Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo.

"I was talking to some of the NBA scouts and I was talking about June Mar. I said, he's just dominating our league right now," he shared.

Cone related that one of the scouts, Jim Kelly of the Mavs, posed him the question: How do you think he'll do here in the Summer League?

"I said, you give him a little bit of time, you give him a few weeks or a month or so to work out with these guys, he'll be one of the best big man here in the summer league," the coach said.

Fajardo, who has bagged two consecutive MVP trophies and three Best Player of the Conference awards in just his third season in the PBA, recently became a two-time champion after helping San Miguel Beer win the Philippine Cup and Governors' Cup titles.

The 6-foot-10 center from Cebu is slowly becoming the new face of the league as he led in scoring and rebounding, and Cone believes he can match up against Summer League players with his talent.

"It's about the adjustment and getting used to playing those really good NBA players, not being intimidated by their athleticism," he said about what it will take for Fajardo to compete with American cagers.

Cone said that Parks was able to adapt and put himself on equal footing with NBA draftees and D-League players, and The Kraken could do the same if not better should he decide to go to the States and take his talents to the Summer League.

"I think June Mar would take that to a whole new level," he said. "He's lived up to his potential and he just seems to be getting better and better." - RAF, GMA News