MATTHEW Wright may just be what the doctor ordered for Team Pilipinas in its closed-door game against Qatar on Monday.
With the Philippines going 5-of-28 from downtown in its 81-73 defeat to Iran last Thursday, some believe that the Phoenix gunner's entry will be a huge shot in the arm for the boys of coach Yeng Guiao.
After all, he has shot 43.8-percent from threes in the first round, the Philippines' best shooter after the first three windows.
However, Wright is just ecstatic to be given the chance once again to don the national tri-colors after serving his one-game ban.
"I’m very fortunate to be called up again. There could have been a lot of other people who were worthy of taking my spot," he said.
"Just to be called up again to play Qatar was already an honor, but for me to just be able to get the suspension out the way and to be able to get back to just playing basketball, it’s exciting for me and I’m more than prepared."
Wright's addition gives Guiao another outside threat to pair with deadshots Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot, and Paul Lee.
Add to that the inclusion of Stanley Pringle as the squad's naturalized player and the Philippines might just have solved the riddle of its poor outside shooting for the 2019 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers -- one which has ranked 12th out of 16 teams and shooting only 28.5-percent from deep.
However, Wright isn't fixated on what he can bring to the table individually, but rather, putting his focus on blending with these new cast of characters in Team Philippines.
"Hopefully, I’ll be able to space the floor out, do my job which is to attack off the pick-and-roll, and just make shots," he said.
"We're in the Iran game the entire time had we made a couple of baskets, the game would have been completely different. So like I said, my job is to just be able to knock down shots and to create for others and to space the floor out for the big men."
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