BARANGAY Ginebra just got a whole lot younger and more explosive after a blockbuster trade centered around would-be Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt from Terrafirma.

Holt, together with Isaac Go, got shipped to the Gin Kings for Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle alongside a pick swap in a blockbuster trade which shocked the Philippine basketball scene early Saturday morning ahead of its 2024-25 PBA Season.

While off the bat, Ginebra comes out as the undisputed winner as they got former No. 1 overall pick Holt as well as an exchange of their 10th pick for the Dyip’s third selection in Sunday’s PBA Draft – one guy who people may have overlooked in this trade is 6-foot-7 center Go who now finds himself with a team – and a coach – that could further utilize his modern skill set to perfection.

After a highly successful collegiate career with Ateneo, Go was slow to find his footing in the pro ranks after an ACL injury kept him out of the floor in his first drive with Terrafirma.

But last season, the 28-year-old started to find his stride as he put up averages of 8.8 points and 5.2 boards while shooting 36.6 percent from beyond the arc, all while displaying his basketball IQ from the high post in 25 minutes of game time as the Dyip’s starting center.

That kind of game is exactly why Gin King fans should be excited about Go’s arrival, especially with how coach Tim Cone makes the most out of his bigs.

Let’s get this out of the way, Go won’t come close to the numbers that Standhardinger was producing, as ‘C-Stan’ was a walking 20-10 machine in his time with the league’s most popular team.

But with Holt coming in as another source of offense for Ginebra, alongside the continuous growth of Jamie Malonzo and the eventual return of former MVP Scottie Thompson, Go really won’t have to.

Adding dimensions to Ginebra’s game

All he has to do is play his role well and he could usher in a brand new style of Ginebra basketball next season – a style that Cone knows all too well.

Go’s ability to stretch the floor gives Cone his best shooting big man since Joe Devance – a player whose career is pretty much synonymous with the 25-time PBA champion coach.

PHOTO BY: PBA IMAGES

Adjusting to the triangle wouldn’t also be an issue for the three-time UAAP champion. One of Go’s main assets heading into the pro ranks was his ability to think on the fly, owing to his high basketball IQ.

He flourished playing under coach Tab Baldwin because of that said IQ, unlocking that beautiful Blue Eagle offense with his ability to stretch the floor by making good reads with his passes and setting solid screens when he’s away from action.

Pairing him with another versatile frontline player in Malonzo gives the likes of Thompson, Holt, and Maverick Ahanmisi more space to wreak havoc on the floor, and they now have the option to move away from the highly-successful post-centric offenses of Ginebra, one which started with the Greg Slaughter-Japeth Aguilar twin-tower partnership, and carried on with the arrival of the hulking Standhardinger.

Ginebra also having the third pick in the rookie selection process gives them a shot at either versatile big Kai Ballungay, the battle-tested Caelan Tiongson, or even a swiss-army knife forward in Jonnel Policarpio makes this deal even sweeter.

A Gilas return for Isaac?

Aside from finding a team that could put his skills to good use, having a chance to learn Cone’s system could pave the way for Go’s return to the national team.

Go was a staple selection in Baldwin’s time with the nationals and with further polishing in the triangle, he could be a viable option for this resurgent Gilas squad, especially as his three-point shooting is always a coveted skill to have in FIBA tournaments.

This comes in handy, especially with AJ Edu’s health concerns and the advancing age of always-steady June Mar Fajardo hounding the Gilas frontline.

From playing with a team that’s pretty much hanging around the lower half of the league, Go now finds himself as the only legitimate center of the crowd darlings, while also playing for a coach who loves having players like him on the roster – a shot-caller who also happens to handle the national team.

Ginebra may have come away as winners of this deal just by grabbing a bonafide star in Holt.

Still, by moving to the Gin Kings and having all these opportunities now ahead of him, Go stands as the one who has the most to gain after this trade.