Gilas Pilipinas has completed its four-game pocket tournament in Guangdong, beating Iran B twice and Senegal once to finish with a 3-1 record. The team heads home on Tuesday to resume the final stretch of their FIBA World Cup preparations, presumably with Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto in attendance.
Here's what we learned from Gilas during their pocket tournament.
AJ Edu looks good
During Gilas' first game, a 76-64 win over Iran, it dawned on me that this was probably the first time the Filipino audience was seeing Edu play in a full game. His 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup lasted less than two minutes, while Toledo's NCAA games were never shown live here. So coming into this tournament, he was pretty much a mystery man.
It's fair to say the audience liked what they saw. Edu, 6-foot-10, had nine points and a team-high nine rebounds off the bench. His breakout game came in the second match against Senegal, where he started alongside June Mar Fajardo and finished with team highs of 15 points and seven boards. He even showed off his newfound 3-point shooting, burying 3 of 4 from deep.
While there were times Edu looked a little flustered in the post against taller and more mature opponents - where he committed silly fouls or missed his defensive rotation -- he was active off the boards and ran the floor well.
CJ Perez can play the point, to a certain point
Perez was his usual explosive self, blowing by defenders, sinking tough pull-up jumpers and being a pest on defense. He took on a new role in China, playing point guard at times as the team continued to grapple with Scottie Thompson's absence.
Against Senegal, Perez orchestrated a Gilas breakaway in the fourth quarter. He directed traffic and scored eight straight points to turn the tide in Gilas' favor. He eventually finished with 14 points and three assists.
Perez was called upon again to perform that role in the second Iran game. This time he looked human as he committed a few turnovers and was eventually replaced by Kiefer Ravena down the stretch.
Perez has played point guard in the PBA, but he's always been more comfortable at the two guard spot. Unlike Ravena or Thompson, who can both handle the point guard chores for a whole game, Perez is most effective playing the point for certain stretches. They will need him to do that in the World Cup if Thompson can't get back in time.
The frontline is thin...literally and figuratively
Coach Chot Reyes rotated Edu, Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar at the 4 and 5 spots, with Jamie Malonzo and Calvin Oftana providing spot minutes from time to time. They mostly got away with it against the relatively smaller frontline of Iran, but the Senegal bigs gave them all sorts of trouble.
Seven-foot Youssopha Ndoye and 6-11 Ousmane Ndiaye outmuscled Gilas' three bigs with ease. It underscores this team's biggest flaw: A frontline rotation that lacks a classic muscle-bound, physical big man who can bang bodies. Kai Sotto, if and when he joins the team, certainly does not fill this mode.
Previous Gilas teams in the World Cup could rely on Andray Blatche to match up against tall, wide-bodied opponents, but with Jordan Clarkson filling the naturalized player spot this time, there's no one to turn to. Reyes will have at most four natural bigs, none of whom are particularly physical or muscular.
To be fair, though, Fajardo and Edu both played well against Senegal, especially in the second game. But the Senegalese frontline was at times simply overpowering, and Gilas can expect to see more of that in the World Cup.
The final cuts will be tough
This was the first time in a while that Gilas has played without a naturalized player. The coaching staff distributed more minutes among the 13 players as they move closer to a final roster.
It's hard to rule out anyone at this stage, although based purely on playing time in China, maybe Thirdy Ravena and Rhenz Abado sit on the bubble. After that, it gets a little dicey. Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto are expected to join the team later this week, bringing the head count to 15. If Thompson comes back, that will make it 16.
All four big men (including Sotto) are likely in. Among the wings, Dwight Ramos is a sure bet while Jamie Malonzo, despite an uneven performance in China, has the skill sets and physical attributes needed in the World Cup. The same could probably be said about Calvin Oftana.
There is clearly a surplus of guards, and this is where the coaching staff will have sleepless nights. Clarkson is sure to lock up one of the guard spots, and a healthy Thompson would make the choices even tougher.
The next week or so will be brutal for everyone.