Gilas was not supposed to play in the 2018 Asian Games. Fortunately, the SBP management listened to the Filipino basketball fans.
Unfortunately, we will not even get two weeks of complete team practice. Which basically assures that we will not win the tournament.
But, if a miracle will happen, these three guys will be the key.
Stanley Pringle
According to coach Tab Baldwin, Stanley is already the best point guard in Asia. According to coach Tim Cone, he expects Pringle to shock everybody.
Why were the. arguably, two best coaches working in the Philippines are so pumped up about Stanley Pringle?
Remember his 50 points? That is how good Stanley is. If Jayson Castro was very effective in games against our fellow Asian countries, imagine a guy who has the same playing style but has better physical tools?
If Stanley can be unstoppable and make sure that he will constantly feed his teammates, Philippines will be on the right track.
Raymond Almazan
Raymond is the best rim protector of the team. That alone makes him one of the three most valuable part of this team.
Coach Yeng cannot allow the opponents to feast inside. Once the opponent get their rhythm of exploiting the paint, it will be hard for our team to stop the bleeding because we lack preparation and chemistry.
Other than that, Almazan will also be our tallest outside shooter. I am hoping though that Asi Taulava can really show his outside shot in the Asian Games. If he can be consistent from the outside, he will open up driving lanes for Stanley and Paul Lee.
Lastly, the possibility that coach Yeng will play him on the SF position is real. If they face a very tall team, he is their only bigman who has the skillset and athleticism to handle the SF position for at least 10 minutes of a game.
If he can be consistent in this tournament, the Philippines could be into something.
Christian Standhardinger
Coach Yeng is more familiar with bigs who can shoot from the outside but what Standhardinger will bring in the table will force coach Yeng to play him.
Rebounding could be one of our strength and we really need to maximize it. Christian is known for his non-stop motor and physicality inside.
Belga, Almazan and even Asi can shoot from the outside, providing Standhardinger fewer bodies to work against in getting second-chance opportunities. By getting a lot of offensive rebound, we could get the momentum of a game and disrupt the rhythm of the opponent.
Next, he will be the most reliable post-threat. We need to have a capable post player to counter the small-ball of our opponents. He is also good in finding open shooters from the post.
Lastly, he has the best combination of agility and strength. That is vital in defending fast and fluid frontliners who can lit-up our other bigs.
Overall
Trust me, we have a winning chance against any team if the three above are playing their best basketball. If those three play well, our offense and defense will be elite.
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