It is okay to dream. Every man should have one—or two. In fact, many great things came from big dreams.
Kevin Quiambao of the La Salle Green Archers, fresh from a heartbreaking loss in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball Tournament Finals, is dreaming big. And he is putting it out there for the world to see. He is embracing it. He might even have a plan for it.
That dream is as big as they come: Making it to the NBA one day.
Quiambao, the MVP of UAAP Seasons 86 and 87, announced this in a heartfelt social media post where he thanked the La Salle community and bade it good-bye.
“My college career comes to an end, I will pursue my NBA dream and start my journey by playing professional ball in Goyang Sono SkyGunners and developing my game even more,” KQ announced on Instagram.
It is a lofty goal, all right. But big dreams aside, there is one big problem with that aspiration: Kevin Quiambao is not NBA-ready. He probably is not NBA material, actually.
Breaking Down the KQ Dream of Making It to the NBA
Saying that KQ is not NBA-ready is not a knock on the young man. There is no doubt he is talented. There is no doubt he is skilled. There is no doubt he is a hard worker. The thing is the NBA is not just a notch higher. It is levels beyond the kind of basketball Quiambao has played in the UAAP and for Gilas in his call-ups. His Game 3 performance, with the crown on the line, does not exactly scream future NBA player: 13 points on 4-for-11 shooting and 4 rebounds in a little over 30 minutes.
Quiambao’s position at the highest level of basketball is also a complication. At 6-foot-6, KQ has mostly played 4 for La Salle, and he put up a league-best 16.4 points on top of 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.3 steals en route to being the MVP of Season 87 (his second in as many years). But he also had advantages in mobility, speed, and agility against most, if not all, 4s he faced at the collegiate level—but without giving up any disadvantage in height and heft.
Internationally, particularly in the NBA, Quiambao will have to play 2 or 3 (or both), and he is getting to do some of that for Gilas. But, at that level, KQ will be facing similarly sized players who are likely quicker, faster, and more athletic than he is—and more suited to play the wings. If anything, the UP Fighting Maroons proved Quiambao might not be ready for that transition yet, using smaller but faster and quicker guards, like Jacob Bayla and Reyland Torres to frustrate the two-time MVP.
Quiambao also struggled against Francis Lopez, who is exactly the kind of fast, athletic wing he will see game by game in the NBA. In the NBA, KQ will be facing guards taller, faster, quicker, and more athletic than Torres and Bayla and greater, more polished athletes than Lopez. He won’t be playing four either—not at 6-foot-6 and with a lithe, lean frame and so-so athleticism. So, just imagine the challenge that awaits Quiambao at that NBA level.
Quiambao Is a Man with a Plan
It is always heartbreaking to rain on someone’s parade, let alone douse cold reality on a big dream—especially that of Quiambao, who is by all accounts a humble, upstanding young man. Sometimes, though, that dose of reality can prompt proactive action that could alter history. And it is highly likely Quiambao is well aware of the long road ahead as he describes his upcoming stint in the Korean Basketball league as the start of his journey and alludes to working on his game.
This announcement shows foresight and is a tacit admission of the long road ahead to fulfilling that lofty dream. But it also shows a long-term plan and the willingness to put in the work and not take shortcuts.
All that planning and foresight and impending hard work might help Quiambao get to the NBA someday—or they might not. But, again, a man can dream. Quiambao just happens to be dreaming big, as in really big. And, for what’s it worth, all great things were just once a dream.
The hope now is that this pursuit ends in the best possible way. The young man deserves it.
