The NLEX Road Warriors and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, two of the four teams that clinched a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, already have their sights on an even better showing in the Governors’ Cup. And they are tapping old reliables to get the job done.
NLEX Opts for DeQuan Jones
The Road Warriors, who finished as the top seed in the midseason tourney, have enlisted DeQuan Jones right from the get-go. Jones first played for NLEX in the Governors’ Cup of Season 49 as a replacement for Myke Henry and evidently left quite the impression.
Jones averaged 32.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in his first rodeo with NLEX, which began with an explosive 49-point debut against Rain or Shine. He also dropped 44 in a crucial win over the Justin Brownlee-led Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. Unfortunately, he and the Road Warriors ran into Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and the TNT Tropang 5G in the quarterfinals, where they lost 3-1.
The stocky 35-year-old reinforcement brings with him legit NBA experience, having played for the Orlando Magic in the 2012–13 NBA season, as well as extensive international experience with stops in Europe and Asia.
Rain or Shine Enlists Aaron Fuller
Rain or Shine, meanwhile, enlisted Aaron Fuller once more a season after the bulky American suited up for the Elasto Painters in the same conference as Jones. Fuller proved to be a seamless fit, putting up 21.3 points and 12.4 rebounds and leading Rain or Shine all the way to the semis—only to fall in five games to the same TNT squad that bounced out Jones and NLEX.
Fuller, of course, is no stranger to PBA basketball, having made his debut in Asia’s first pay-for-play league back in 2017 for, ironically enough, NLEX. In his first go-round in the PBA, he averaged 27.0 points and 19.5 rebounds as a bulldozer-type import. He returned the very next season for the Road Warriors and posted 32.6 points and 18.7 rebounds. He then suited up for the Blackwater Elite in 2019 and for TNT in 2021.
While his production has dipped considerably from his first two years playing in the PBA, it appears Fuller did enough last season for Yeng Guiao to bring him back. For a team with virtually no inside presence, Fuller looks like a logical choice.
