Philippines Senior National Team Thread Vol. V

[Metta]

Yeah. Still small sample size for AJ Edu to be on that list as he played only a few games for the Gilas senior team. And besides, for me AJ Edu is more of a center than a four although he's very much capable of playing as a four. He has the mobility & the skills to play the 4 spot.

I'm thinking, maybe if he had suited up for Gilas in the last 3 years, Justin Baltazar might somehow be among the elite fours in Asian basketball at present.

We can probably count in one hand Asian players who can guard a player like Karl Anthony Towns one-on-one. He can effectively defend NBA-level bigs, that's the value of Edu.

Hope he figures out how to be more durable. Steph was very injury prone for several years until he figured out how to fix his ankles.

If a Kai-JMF combo was made effective, a Kai-Edu combo is something we should manifest into existence.

[sroth3839]

We can probably count in one hand Asian players who can guard a player like Karl Anthony Towns one-on-one. He can effectively defend NBA-level bigs, that's the value of Edu.

Hope he figures out how to be more durable. Steph was very injury prone for several years until he figured out how to fix his ankles.

If a Kai-JMF combo was made effective, a Kai-Edu combo is something we should manifest into existence.

With Bennie as our next NP, I think we’ll see more of Kai-Bennie or Edu-Bennie combos than Ka-Edu. Unless Boatwright can play the 3, Kai and Edu are mostly going to be used as rim protectors.

I just hope we see less of Junemar and Boatwright on the floor together.

[Metta]

With Bennie as our next NP, I think we’ll see more of Kai-Bennie or Edu-Bennie combos than Ka-Edu. Unless Boatwright can play the 3, Kai and Edu are mostly going to be used as rim protectors.

I just hope we see less of Junemar and Boatwright on the floor together.

CTC has mentioned that he can see Boatwright as a 3. I have a feeling that is what he is envisioning. Whether it is possible remains to be seen.

[IPC]

CTC has mentioned that he can see Boatwright as a 3. I have a feeling that is what he is envisioning. Whether it is possible remains to be seen.

We will need a decent defensive guard at the 2 and a good defender at 4 and/or 5 if we're going to put Bennie at the 3. Bennie already has trouble defending on his own, he could be a decent team defender, especially with a good defensive system and good defensive players beside him.

Cone made a Kai-June Mar combo work, so a lineup with Bennie at the 3 might be possible. If Bennie's going to be our main 3, though, he has to justify it by being a consistent scorer.

[JAMSKIE]

We can probably count in one hand Asian players who can guard a player like Karl Anthony Towns one-on-one. He can effectively defend NBA-level bigs, that's the value of Edu.

Hope he figures out how to be more durable. Steph was very injury prone for several years until he figured out how to fix his ankles.

If a Kai-JMF combo was made effective, a Kai-Edu combo is something we should manifest into existence.

I want to see more of AJ Edu wearing Gilas jersey. Based on his games in last year's World Cup, he did well & if he can play like that in the world stage then I have no doubt he can play equally or even better in Asian level basketball. In the Asian level basketball, we could use Edu to neutralize elite Asian bigs like 6-7 Ali Haidar of Lebanon, 6-11 Ahmad Al Dwairi of Jordan, 6-foot-9 Yuta Watanabe of Japan, & those naturalized players playing as big men of other countries.

[lem0nadi]

The Boomers will send its Team C full of NBL players in FIBA Asia Cup 2025.

Another intriguing question is, can the current Gilas pool assuming all are healthy, beat NBL-Boomers next year?

If Boomers Team A is a team with all of their NBA players + best players in NBL, what is their Team B then?

I feel like the all-NBL line-up of Australia is already their Team B and the Team C might be the cadet team or the ones from the US-NCAA / NBL Next Stars Program.

[JAMSKIE]

How come the twin tower combination of Kai Sotto & Junmar playing together in that game vs. Latvia worked? How come the Latvians didn't exploit such slow frontline combo of Gilas? The Latvians should have executed more pick n' roll plays. Maybe the Latvians didn't do enough scouting on Gilas? Maybe they didn't notice that Junmar is slow to defend pick n rolls.

[Metta]

How come the twin tower combination of Kai Sotto & Junmar playing together in that game vs. Latvia worked? How come the Latvians didn't exploit such slow frontline combo of Gilas? The Latvians should have executed more pick n' roll plays. Maybe the Latvians didn't do enough scouting on Gilas? Maybe they didn't notice that Junmar is slow to defend pick n rolls.

One strategy that they did was not doing drop coverage. On a pick/screen JMF/Kai will stay with the big and not play paint protector. Everyone else rotated to help. Newsome and Ramos + JB being big guards who can cover a lot of ground and versatile (guards multiple positions) was crucial. Team cohesion was the biggest key, they defended as a unit.

Latvia also had some key moments with open threes that they just did not convert.

[IPC]

How come the twin tower combination of Kai Sotto & Junmar playing together in that game vs. Latvia worked? How come the Latvians didn't exploit such slow frontline combo of Gilas? The Latvians should have executed more pick n' roll plays. Maybe the Latvians didn't do enough scouting on Gilas? Maybe they didn't notice that Junmar is slow to defend pick n rolls.

We need to devise a scheme so the Kai-June Mar pairing doesn't get picked on as much in the PnR.

We also need two of Newsome, Dwight, CJ, JB, and Scottie on the floor to help out. Newsome, Dwight, and Scottie can fight picks too. CJ was good defensively in the OQT.

[JAMSKIE]

We need to devise a scheme so the Kai-June Mar pairing doesn't get picked on as much in the PnR.

We also need two of Newsome, Dwight, CJ, JB, and Scottie on the floor to help out. Newsome, Dwight, and Scottie can fight picks too. CJ was good defensively in the OQT.

I'm just thinking that maybe as our Gilas players get to practice/scrimmage & play more together as a team, the more they improve their defense collectively as a team. I mean, just like offense, defense also requires coordination & teamwork and those aspects are developed thru time & playing/practicing together as a unit. What I like about our current Gilas players is that a No. of them are decent defenders like Newsome, Iskati, AJ Edu, Brownlee, Dwight Ramos, & even CJ Perez. If guys like Oftana, Tamayo, Kai Sotto, Malonzo improve their individual defensive skills then that would only be beneficial to the team. But then again, defense also requires teamwork so its a total team effort.

Because of teamwork on defense we can hide or compensate for the defensive shortcomings of some our players. Hindi naman kasi yan maiiwasan that a No. of our Gilas players aren't really that good on defense.

[Metta]

I'm just thinking that maybe as our Gilas players get to practice/scrimmage & play more together as a team, the more they improve their defense collectively as a team. I mean, just like offense, defense also requires coordination & teamwork and those aspects are developed thru time & playing/practicing together as a unit. What I like about our current Gilas players is that a No. of them are decent defenders like Newsome, Iskati, AJ Edu, Brownlee, Dwight Ramos, & even CJ Perez. If guys like Oftana, Tamayo, Kai Sotto, Malonzo improve their individual defensive skills then that would only be beneficial to the team. But then again, defense also requires teamwork so its a total team effort.

Because of teamwork on defense we can hide or compensate for the defensive shortcomings of some our players. Hindi naman kasi yan maiiwasan that a No. of our Gilas players aren't really that good on defense.

That's what transpired in the OQT. During the prep games, the defensive strategy was a work in progress. As they played more games, they kept improving and eventually Latvia happened.

Another thing to keep in mind. Like I've said before, we don't have the quality wherein our team will match-up well with each and every team in this higher tiered level. Just like Japan, we can only aim to beat "certain" teams. We're not suddenly going to become world-beaters. It's a progression, what's important is we're forming an identity. As we keep playing against these higher level teams (which we should do more often), that is when we figure things out and continually improve.

[JAMSKIE]

Is 6-foot-11 Ahmad Al Dwairi of Jordan the best among the local (naturalized players excluded) centers in Asian basketball right now? Maybe a toss-up between Kai Sotto & China's Zhou Qi as the 2nd best center in Asia.

But I'm confident in 2 or 3 years time, the tables would be turned upside down. Kai is going to overtake Al Dwairi for the top center spot in Asian basketball. 3 years from now, Al Dwairi would already be 34 yrs old while Kai would only be 25 yrs old. Al Dwairi would be on the way down in his basketball career trajectory while Kai would still be on his way up.

I've observed Al Dwairi's games in the last 5 years or so & I noticed that while he is really a skilled & strong center, he lacks an outside shot. He doesn't even have a decent medium range shot. No doubt inside the shaded lane he's really lethal but if he is outside of the paint, he is not a threat. U can't say the same about Kai because the kid can hit from mid-range & would be more than willing to take open 3-pt shots. And we can expect Kai to improve his mid-range & 3-pt shots even further as he matures. Of course in terms of physical strength, Al Dwairi outshines Kai easily at present. But as Kai's body matures - his bone & muscle mass get better, the gap in terms of physical strength between him & Al Dwairi would be narrowed. Kai enjoys a 3-inch height advantage over Al Dwairi.

[sroth3839]

Is 6-foot-11 Ahmad Al Dwairi of Jordan the best among the local (naturalized players excluded) centers in Asian basketball right now? Maybe a toss-up between Kai Sotto & China's Zhou Qi as the 2nd best center in Asia.

But I'm confident in 2 or 3 years time, the tables would be turned upside down. Kai is going to overtake Al Dwairi for the top center spot in Asian basketball. 3 years from now, Al Dwairi would already be 34 yrs old while Kai would only be 25 yrs old. Al Dwairi would be on the way down in his basketball career trajectory while Kai would still be on his way up.

I've observed Al Dwairi's games in the last 5 years or so & I noticed that while he is really a skilled & strong center, he lacks an outside shot. He doesn't even have a decent medium range shot. No doubt inside the shaded lane he's really lethal but if he is outside of the paint, he is not a threat. U can't say the same about Kai because the kid can hit from mid-range & would be more than willing to take open 3-pt shots. And we can expect Kai to improve his mid-range & 3-pt shots even further as he matures. Of course in terms of physical strength, Al Dwairi outshines Kai easily at present. But as Kai's body matures - his bone & muscle mass get better, the gap in terms of physical strength between him & Al Dwairi would be narrowed. Kai enjoys a 3-inch height advantage over Al Dwairi.

If we’re excluding Australia and NZ, then:

I’d put Zhou slightly above Al-Dwairi because the former has a more well-rounded game. Zhou has struggled with injuries as of late but when he’s 100%, he is lethal.

Al-Dwairi is ahead in terms of post presence but in today’s game, you need to be able to do everything (e.g. Jokic).

Kai, as you said, just needs to improve his strength and he’ll be right up there.

Another mention should be: Mohammed Al-Suwailem of KSA

He’s also a good center but struggles against stronger Asian teams because his surrounding cast isn’t the best.

If Australia and NZ are included, then you can’t go wrong with Frolling (Aus), Thon (Aus), Brandt (Aus), Timmins (NZ), and Adams (NZ).

The two Ocenia teams are miles ahead of Asian teams in terms of bigs.

[JAMSKIE]

sroth3839

2018 Asian Games Zhou Qi was the best version of Zhou Qi ever. But since then, he seems to have deteriorated. As U mentioned, injuries may have slowed him down.

During the 2018 Asian Games, Zhou Qi was 22 yrs old which is Kai's current age. I say, a 22-year old Zhou Qi would outperform a 22-year old Kai Sotto.

How time flies that Zhou is now 28 yrs old. I think Zhou has already reached his peak or if ever he will still improve, kunti nalang yan. Kai on the other hand at 22 still has a huge room for improvement. Wag lang sana ma injured si Kai.

[Alex07]

But Strong Group Athletics' goal is purely winning championships in international competitions like Jones Cup & Dubai Invitational Basketball Championships that is why they load up their team with a good number of good quality imports. I don't know if Strong Group would be willing to bankroll a team whose main goal is player development while winning a championship would just be a secondary goal.

maybe Tim can see some sort of Alvin Patrimonio in him. The guy is old school and have seen some talents in the Philippines. I just hope the kid would be healthy anf will gain a lot of more valuable basketball experience as time goes by. I have a feeling Tim will beat New Zealand in one of their meetings. This is again one historical feat.