After three solid outings in his first tour of duty with Gilas Pilipinas Men, RJ Abarrientos has, without a doubt, caught the attention of Filipino fans.
With his array of awesome handles, slashing moves, fancy passes, and endless self-confidence, just about everybody was quick to compare the 21-year-old to his uncle, Philippine basketball legend Johnny Abarrientos.
In fact, RJ, who averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 rebounds inside the "bubble" in Clark, Pampanga, has prompted FEU head coach Olsen Racela, himself a legend, to anoint him the best from the storied basketball family.
"Perhaps, he may be better than his uncle. When you really look at them, they're poles apart. RJ is taller. RJ has more range than Johnny, but Johnny has a really dangerous crossover," claimed Racela about his Tamaraw-in-waiting in an interview on One Sports' The Game.
"But I think at this level, when Johnny was 20, 21 years old, he was not (this) good. RJ could see the whole floor and he could understand everything. He's so experienced you wouldn't think he hasn't played a single college game," he continued, definitely excited about Morayta's promising prospect.
Racela is very much upbeat on the youngster thought to be next in FEU's long line of great guards.
"I knew that RJ will be coming off the bench. I felt we needed to have more energy off the bench. That's not the RJ Abarrientos I knew," he shared. "He surprised me. In the first part against Korea in the first game, down by 17, he started the rally."
"I know that RJ is a very talented guy and a very skilled player. He hasn't played a UAAP game for us but I know he's full of potential," he continued.
Racela had experienced facing "The Flying A" firsthand, from way before in their UAAP days. Both orchestrators of their team's offense, "Rah Rah" played for Ateneo while Abarrientos suited up for FEU.
Their battles eventually crossed over to the pros with Abarrientos the dynamo of the 1990s Alaska dynasty and Racela playing out a longer career with San Miguel, the PBA's winningest franchise.
Now, both of them are on the FEU staff, developing young talent such as the next generation Abarrientos.
Asked about Racela's observations, however, another person who would be a good judge on the matter begged to differ.
"I think, honestly, it's going to be tough. Because Johnny is Johnny. I think when Johnny was in high school, he was already very skilled. I have to disagree with Olsen there. Johnny was already a prodigy in high school. I think he was already making waves," shared Jojo Lastimosa, Johnny Abarrientos' longtime teammate in Alaska, with ESPN5 in a phone interview.
"Even for his size at 5-foot-7, he's one of a kind. Johnny is a very skilled player so I don't think it's fair to compare RJ to Johnny. Johnny is something else. Although RJ, he has a better range than Johnny, Johnny's different. It's going to be tough comparing RJ to Johnny," he added.
Lastimosa and Abarrientos made up the famed backcourt of the Milkmen, who won a Grand Slam in 1996, while also almost repeating the feat two years later.
The two are now together again in Racela's staff, both having a hand in molding the next generation Abarrientos.
While "Jolas" agreed that the nephew has the edge in long-range shooting, he still has a long way to go before even being considered to be comparable with his uncle.
"Johnny was MVP, he's got very quick hands, he's a tremendous defender, he makes everyone better. I played with Johnny for a long time. If there's one thing that RJ has been better at than Johnny, that's his outside shots, his range," expounded the 1996 Mythical Team member. "Johnny is so much better than RJ."
For his part, RJ is tuning out the comparisons and contrasts as he focuses on himself to elevate his game even further.
"First of all, I don't need to compare myself to my uncle, especially since we played in different eras, and now at my young age I have a lot to experience and to improve on as a player," explained the 5-foot-11 playmaker.
For now, the Gilas guard is just grateful to have numerous accomplished point guards to guide him; specifically, in FEU.
"Some of my mentors are all legends in terms of basketball like coach Olsen Racela, Denok Miranda, [Jojo] Lastimosa, and my uncle, Johnny, the 'Flying A,'" he expressed.
Abarrientos is now officially part of the final 12 lined up by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to play in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia starting next week.