The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Magnolia Hotshots fortified their rosters ahead of their PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals clashes with the Meralco Bolts and TNT Tropang 5G, respectively. Rain or Shine finally put PBA Season 48 third overall draft pick Luis Villegas on the active lineup a few days ago, while Magnolia reactivated veteran guard Paul Lee, who was previously sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
The two moves are timely, given the Elasto Painters’ dearth of big men and the Hotshots’ lack of playmakers at the point guard spot. But the big question is: Can Luis Villegas and Paul Lee actually make a difference on the high-stakes stage of the playoffs?
Luis Villegas: Big Man Help for Rain or Shine
At 6-foot-8, Luis Villegas automatically becomes the tallest Elasto Painter with Keith Datu out for the entirety of Season 50. And he could very well be given the unenviable task of helping Rain or Shine keep Meralco’s active bigs off the offensive glass—that is, if he is actually given meaningful minutes.
Most likely, Villegas will have to man up against Brandon Bates, who is currently the PBA’s leader in offensive rebounding with 4.6 offensive caroms per game, and Raymond Almazan, another active big who can get on the glass and snare rebounds at a high rate. That will be a Herculean task, no doubt, for anyone, let alone someone who is coming off a long layoff due to injury. But if Villegas could be an active body for Yeng Guiao, even for just a few minutes, the former UE Red Warrior would have done his job already.
Luis Villegas and the Elasto Painters clash with the Meralco Bolts later today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, looking to gain outright entry to the semis with a win.
Paul Lee: Playmaking Help for Magnolia
In their recent loss to TNT, the Hotshots sorely lacked playmaking without both Paul Lee and Jerom Lastimosa. It looks like the latter won’t be playing against the Tropang 5G in the quarterfinals, which means Magnolia will be missing its best playmaker overall. It also means the former’s return will be a welcome development, as he can at least give playing coach LA Tenorio a hand in shouldering the shot-creation and ball-handling duties.
To be clear, Lee is no Lastimosa—at least not at this point in his career. But with his playoff experience, savvy, and big-game shooting, he is still at least a step up over whoever else Magnolia has at that point guard spot. There’s also no telling when a veteran can turn back the clock with a vintage performance, and that’s something Lee might still be able to do.
Lee and the Hotshots take on TNT later today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, in need of a win to extend this matchup to a win-or-go-home clash.
