It used to be Magnolia Hotshots guard Paul Lee was at his most lethal in crunch time. It didn’t matter if he was 10-for-10 or 0-for-10. When the game was on the line, you could count on the UE Warrior legend to deliver. At least that was what he used to do.
Maybe he can still do it. Maybe he can still be lethal when the game is on the line. After all, that clutch gene doesn’t magically disappear, right? Then again, Father Time could surely take it.
In Magnolia’s collapse against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, it looked like Father Time got the win—and that might be putting it lightly. Lee, once one of the PBA’s premier closers, couldn’t do anything right in the endgame against Rain or Shine as Magnolia lost a 100-89 lead in the last 5:30. It was a particularly brutal stretch for Lee, who bricked two three-point tries, had another one blocked, turned the ball over thrice, and sent Adrian Nocum to the line with a loose ball foul. He also surrendered the game-tying four-pointer, with Andrei Caracut juking him out of position rather easily.
Put simply, it was carnage. It was a sorry end to a sorry game for Lee, who scored only 4 points on 1-for-6 shooting in 29:23 of playing time.
Paul Lee Looks to Be in a Steep Decline
Unfortunately for the Hotshots, Lee’s bad game against Rain or Shine isn’t an outlier. It is a recurring occurrence: Lee wetting the bed and bringing Magnolia down with him. And given his uneven play—and, again, that’s putting it lightly—all the way to Season 48, it is becoming more likely that one of the best guards to ever to it in the PBA is showing signs of a decline.
Not that this should come as a surprise. He is already 35, after all, and has a history of knee problems. Besides, as early as last season, it was clear Lee isn’t as Leethal as he once was, as he averaged only 11.1 points per game—his lowest in six seasons and the second lowest of his 12-year career so far. He also shot just 37.4% from the field, which is tied for the third-lowest mark in his splendid run as a pro.
Lee wasn’t any better in the PBA Governors’ Cup, where this same Rain or Shine squad exposed the Angas ng Tondo at a time when he was supposedly at his best—in the playoffs. Lee, to be fair, was great in Game 1 (15 points, 13 assists) and spectacular in Game 4 (25 points, 6 assists). But he was pedestrian in Games 2 and 3, scoring just 10 points combined, and ghastly in the win-or-go-home Game 5, finishing with only 9 points and coughing the ball up 6 times in a Magnolia loss. What’s more, Caracut and Nocum took turns attacking Lee and proving he is a clear liability on defense.
The one-time PBA Finals MVP isn’t doing well either in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, averaging 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.3 turnovers in the three games he has played so far—including that debacle against Rain or Shine. He is also shooting an ice-cold 29.4% from the field.
Why a Change in Role Makes the Most Sense
While it may be true that Lee’s game is declining, it might still be premature to call him washed as plenty of PBA players aged 35 and up have continued playing at a high level. The TNT Tropang Giga duo of Kelly Williams, 42, and Jayson Castro, 38, come to mind, as do Lee’s former teammates at Rain or Shine in Gabe Norwood, 39, and Beau Belga, 38. Even Terrafirma Dyip’s Stanley Pringle and Vic Manuel, both 37, are playing well in this conference.
So, when there’s precedence, there’s hope.
But it’s probably time to recalibrate Lee’s role, and that task ultimately falls on Magnolia coach Chito Victolero. Put simply, the veteran guard is no longer a main man-level star; what he is instead is a very talented role player who will have his moments—moments that will remind everyone of what Lee was all about in his prime. That isn’t happening every game anymore for Lee, which is okay bigger picture. Magnolia has young, emerging guards in Jerrick Ahanmisi and Jerom Lastimosa who look ready for a bigger role, and it might be time for Victolero to give them that chance at Lee’s expense.
In other words, it’s time to ride the young guys more. Start them, give them more minutes, and allow them to play down the stretch. Let Lee come off the bench for spot minutes—five minutes here, five minutes there—and have him play against second-stringers. Play him more if he’s feeling it. Otherwise, use him the way Tim Cone used Stanley Pringle at Barangay Ginebra San Miguel or the way Chot Reyes managed Castro last conference.
This will make things theoretically easier for Lee and, at the same time, accelerate the growth of Magnolia’s young guards. It has the makings of a win-win, especially if Lee can embrace this reduced role and find a way to be lethal in fewer minutes.
Lee is smart enough to figure that out. But is Victolero smart enough to do the right thing?
