Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, with Justin Brownlee leading the way, stunned the PBA months ago by winning the Commissioner’s Cup crown, dethroning arch-rivals TNT Tropang 5G in a pulsating seven-game series. That championship feels like distant history, with the barangay struggling mightily in this Governors’ Cup and looking like they won’t even make the next round.
It is a massive fall from grace, for lack of a better description, and it is mostly due to Ginebra’s fluid import situation. Brownlee gave it his absolute all last conference, got hurt along the way, and missed the first part of the tournament. Now, he is apparently dealing with what Tim Cone describes as a health scare, putting his return to the PBA in serious jeopardy.
Where Does Ginebra Stand at the Moment
Right now, Ginebra is dead last in Group B with a 2-4 record. Overall, the team’s slate would put them eleventh, just ahead of two bottom-feeders in the Macau Giant Pandas (2-6) and Titan Ultra Giant Risers (2-7). Worse, the barangay is on a two-game losing streak, with both losses—an 88-73 rout at the hands of the Magnolia Hotshots and a 97-88 drubbing by the Meralco Bolts—the listless, uninspiring kind.
So, if the playoffs started today, the reigning Commissioner’s Cup champion wouldn’t even make it. They’d be far from it, in fact. And, when all is said and done, they might actually miss it still, with their next two games against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Magnolia, and their last two against upstarts Phoenix Fuel Masters and Blackwater Bossing.
What to Watch Out for When Ginebra Returns
Ginebra’s offense should be under the microscope. In a word, it is putrid, and the numbers bear that out. The barangay is dead last in the league in scoring at 89.5 points a game—seven full points behind twelfth-running Phoenix. That mark is so ghastly that Ginebra is the only team this conference scoring less than 90 a game. Unsurprisingly, Tim Cone’s wards are tied with Macau for the tenth-worst shooting clip overall at 43.0% and the worst in field goals made at 32.3 only. Ginebra’s three-point shooting isn’t any better at 32.9%, which is eighth.
That ghastly offense is a shame, because Ginebra’s defense has been unforgiving, surrendering a league-best 89.3 points only. Teams also shoot just 43.4% from the field against the barangay (third in the league) and only 27.0% from downtown (seventh). What this all means is that Ginebra is playing great defense, which isn’t surprising as it has been a Cone MO ever since. However, the PBA’s winningest coach isn’t getting enough offense to complement that defensive ferocity. That will need to change if Ginebra wants to make a move.
Locals to Keep an Eye On
RJ Abarrientos is on the hot seat. The reigning Best Player of the Conference of the Commissioner’s Cup has been on a tournament-long funk, with his averages down to 14.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. The shooting hasn’t been any better, as Abarrientos has been shooting just 42.5% overall and 28.0% from deep. Put simply, Ginebra will need last season’s Rookie of the Year to rediscover his Best Player of the Conference form.
Scottie Thompson will be under scrutiny as well. The 2021 PBA MVP missed five of Ginebra’s six games before the long break, returning only in that loss to Meralco, where he tallied 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. With no Brownlee and a struggling Abarrientos, Thompson will need to activate Playoff Scottie right at the restart if Ginebra is to catch the last bus to the quarters.
Outlook
Ginebra notably replaced its Brownlee replacement, Riley Grigsby, with Jordan Murphy for the stretch run—or at least until JB is good to go, if he ever will be fit to play again. Murphy appears to be more of an inside operator, and he will be tasked to provide much-needed scoring to a barangay in flux.
Now, Murphy can very well be Ginebra’s savior, but even that possibility might be a stretch. And even if he were really good, he’d need Abarrientos and Thompson to be spectacular. That’s possible, though it might not be a good idea to bet big on it.
