The Gilas Pilipinas have already secured a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup which will happen in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this August. That being said, did Gilas intentionally lose their last 2 remaining games in the Asia Cup Qualifiers?
Looking For: Three Point Shooters
In the early lineups of Gilas, more specifically Gilas 1.0, Gilas 2.0 and Gilas 3.0 there are designated 3 point specialists for the team which was, back then, a major factor for them to win games. This time, with the line up of Coach Tim Cone, those shooters are nowhere to be found.
Against Chinese Taipei, Gilas shot 10-of-21 from deep which is 47.8%, respectable stat. But what’s unacceptable is that 8 out of 10 three pointers that Gilas had were made by the naturalized import of the Philippines, Justin Brownlee. He shot 8/11 from deep and the other 2 three pointers were courtesy of Dwight Ramos which he was 2/6 from beyond the arc.
Credit to the defense made by Chinese Taipei players as they really took away the 3 point shooting of Gilas and they just allowed JB to shoot as many as 3 pointers he likes.
During the last game of the Qualifiers against the Tall Blacks of New Zealand, the problem was then again present and it even got worse!
The entire Gilas squad only shot 6-of-29 from the 3 point area (20.7%) compared to the hot shooting of the Tall Blacks as they had 13-of-33 from deep (39.4%). Calvin Oftana and Dwight Ramos had 2 three pointers each while AJ Edu and Carl Tamayo each had 1.
The team is filled with stretch forwards and yet none of them are consistent from beyond the arc. In the entire tournament, through 6 games Gilas sits at #6 for teams that make the most 3 pointers. The average attempt for them is 23.8 threes per game while making only 8.2.
Gilas’ Defense isn’t All About Kai Sotto
The 7-foot-3 Center of Gilas Pilipinas, Kai Sotto suffered a torn ACL injury last January 8 which sidelined him for the entire 2025. His defensive presence was definitely missed against the games of Chinese Taipei and New Zealand but he is not the only player for Gilas that plays defense.
Players like AJ Edu, Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos and Justin Brownlee all played exceptional defense but it wasn’t as they were outrebounded against the Tall Blacks and lost to the steals and blocks against Chinese Taipei. Their perimeter defense and in the shaded paint must be tightened up considering that in the Asia Cup there would be a lot of players attacking through the basket to either get a shot or a rebound.
In the 2nd Chance Points, Gilas lost in that department in their 2 games. 22 – 16 against Chinese Taipei and 17 – 11 against the Tall Blacks.
June Mar Fajardo: The Greatest Offensive Weapon is the Biggest Defensive Weakness
It hurts for me to admit it, but Gilas Pilipinas biggest effective offensive scorer is also their kryptonite when they play defense. June Mar Fajardo is an 8x MVP and a multi-time champion in the PBA but his speed and lateral quickness can’t match the big men internationally.
Yes he can play the D when he’s at the post, a simple one-on-one between June Mar and any taller player than him, he can stand his ground. But against athletic and fast players of other countries, JMF is a liability. How sad that Japeth Aguilar, the other center of Gilas that stands 6-foot-9 is now 38 years old and his athleticness and quickness to defend the basket isn’t what it used to be anymore.
The young 6-foot-10 center AJ Edu, must excel in his game as quickly as possible at this point. In preparation for the FIBA Asia Cup, of course he can’t have the instant double-double output that Kai used to do, but at least defending the basket properly and grabbing as many boards would be a great job for him. He’s fast since he’s only 25 years old but considering that June Mar is now 35 years old, the future of Gilas big men now lies to AJ Edu.
Finally a Sign to Expand the Pool?
The fans have clamored for Coach Tim Cone to add a few players in the lineup. But since Gilas was winning games this idea wasn’t as loud when they were losing. Truth of the matter is, there are a lot of players in the lineup that are just a copy of one another and not a different weapon in the arsenal of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
There are a lot of inefficient local Small Forwards and Power Forwards, Aguilar and Fajardo aren’t getting any younger, plus their guards aren’t known to be scorers from deep but are solid two-way players.
I believe it’s time to extend the pool of players to choose from since Coach Tim got a lot of time before the calendar date hits August. Fans aren’t asking for a completely new 12 players to add into the mix, just add in 3 to 5 players and it will do the job.
Besides, the goal of Gilas Pilipinas remains the same, to get back in the Olympic stage come 2028.
