JUSTIN Brownlee can only laugh at the possibility of guarding TNT’s star 7’3 reinforcement Bol Bol for his next game.
But as Ginebra doesn’t really have the luxury of size, especially with Japeth Aguilar still getting eased back into fitness, that may well be the case for the beloved import when they take on the TNT Tropang 5G to close out their PBA Commissioner’s Cup elimination round campaign next Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
After putting up 40 points on an ultra-efficient 13/24 clip against Jaylen Johnson and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Brownlee now turns his focus to the highly-touted TNT import in a match that could still have twice-to-beat implications for both squads.
READ: Brownlee leads fiery Ginebra shooting in one-sided win over ROS
“I’ll just try my best. He’s the type of guy that even if you try to defend him, he’s shooting the ball where you can’t even jump to get to and then his length on the defensive end, getting a lot of blocks,” Brownlee said.
“It definitely ain’t gonna be a one-man team in trying to guard him, it’s got to be a team effort,” he continued. “Hopefully he’ll have an off night against us.”
Tough as a match-up as that is, Brownlee is certainly excited to play someone who may just very well be the highest-profile basketball player the PBA has seen in a long time, at least when it comes to popularity and hype.
“Man it’s an honor to be playing against him. He’s a very popular basketball player not only here, not only in the US but all around the world,” Brownlee said.
But Brownlee believes he’s more than just hype as he himself can’t believe how Bol isn’t playing in the NBA right now.
“It’s an honor to play against someone with the competition and the level of a player like him [has reached]. He’s a former NBA player, I don’t see how he’s not in the NBA,” Brownlee said. “He’s a very talented guy. We got our hands full just like everybody else in the league has.”
Sure, Brownlee - the humble guy that he is - will keep his focus on how they have their hands full contending with Bol, but if his coach in Tim Cone's to be asked, it's still a fair fight nonetheless.
“They’re still gonna have to contend with Justin on the other side of the floor as well," Cone said. "So hopefully Justin can balance out Bol Bol. Let’s see."
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