FOR championship teams looking to stay on top by loading up on more talent, one harsh truth prevents most of them from doing so: Save for a few upgrades on the margins, they don't really have a lot of wiggle room when it comes to roster improvements unless they are willing to blow up the core that made them successful in the first place.
TNT appeared to belong in that category. For this team that leaned on super rookie Mikey Williams, veteran star guard Jayson Castro, and gunner RR Pogoy to end a six-year title drought in the recent 2021 PBA Philippine Cup, there seemed to be virtually few tide-turning moves to make that didn't involve sending away one of the three or any other member of the core's members.
Or so we thought.
By scooping up wingman Gab Banal in free agency mid-November and signing him to a two-year deal, the Tropang Giga got themselves a low-risk, high-reward pickup who bolsters their thin wing rotation and immediately raises the team's already high floor on offense — all without yielding anything in the way of precious assets.
"Being able to get the league leader in 3-point percentage without giving up anything was a no-brainer," head coach Chot Reyes said. "And if you look at our roster, Gab's our only real natural '3', though we don't play via position."
The 31-year-old forward's prime strength is clear as day: he's a lights-out shooter. Banal's 45.2 percent clip from downtown was a league-high, albeit on low volume (3.8 attempts). DribbleMedia.com's Spacing metric, which attempts to capture a player's effect on team spacing, ranked him fourth among all qualified players.
It's important to contextualize the type of shots that he puts up. Banal's no Stephen Curry — he didn't put up a ton of threes, and he doesn't exactly light up the opposition with off-the-dribble triples — but he got the job done in other ways. If you need a spot-up shooter, a pick-and-pop forward, or a catch-and-shoot option ready to fire one up at a moment's notice, Gab's your guy:
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There's a good chance his shooting from deep will cool down and dip into the high-30s or low-40s, with last conference serving as a bit of an outlier — he hit only 28.8 percent of his 4.6 attempts from deep in two MPBL seasons before his PBA return, after all. But on a team that had the third-highest percentage of shots from deep earlier this season, and with Banal's drive to stay consistent, he's certainly bound to take and make his fair share of open threes.
"I think for me, I have to be consistent with what I do best," Banal said. "It's hours in the gym, practicing specific game shots and having confidence in taking them. I just need to continue working on how I'll get my shots in TNT's offensive flow."
It's hard to nitpick and argue against TNT's recipe for success on offense when they just came off a title run, but last conference's squad wasn't really a team that generated a lot of playmaking beyond Williams and Castro, tallying the third fewest assists (17.5) per game while ranking dead last in percentage of shots assisted. The formula still worked, but surely a little more variety on that end could serve them well moving forward.
That's where Banal's versatility comes in. He's more than just a shooter; he's also a guy capable of making plays for others when the situation calls for it. Banal averaged about 6.2 assists in two MPBL seasons; while he's not going to get enough usage to replicate that figure in the PBA, what he does in a pinch is fine as it is.
At Alaska, Banal only averaged 1.2 assists and didn't really get any opportunities to run the offense for an Aces team that had a bunch of solid, proven playmakers. But he did flash the ability to be a positive passer and had a knack for finding passing windows and narrow gaps right before they closed:
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In TNT team that successfully employs the dribble-drive and has a bevy of stars demanding the defense's attention, a play connector and tertiary facilitator like Banal slots right in.
"I think we just need to play through TNT's strengths and take what the defense gives us. If there's a need for me to be a playmaker rather than a spot-up shooter, I will fill that role," Banal said.
"I think I'm marked as a shooter, but I'm definitely more than that. I just need to do my best in what the team needs me to do," Banal added.
Of course, Banal understands that he'll probably be typecasted as a shooter in TNT for the most part. While he's adamant that he's capable of being much more, he's also wary of the fact that it's not what's going to be demanded of him by the reigning all-Filipino champions.

"The thing with me is I think I'm very versatile. I'll just let coach dictate where the team needs my role, whether that be a spot-up shooter, creator, screener, or being aggressive in attacking," Banal said. "I feel like I could do more, but I don't want to overdo things. I will just stick to my role as a shooter. If there's a need for me to adjust my role then I'll do more."
Banal, though, personifies some of TNT's best traits that could keep them ahead of the competition: He has the ability to help recreate the magic of last conference's championship campaign, but he's also malleable enough to give the Tropang Giga an entirely different look when necessary. Naturally, that all bodes well for the franchise's bid to usher in a new era of dominance.
"I want to help TNT win more championships," he shared. "I want to earn coach Chot's trust to build an empire in TNT. I want to be part of the new breed that will bring back glory to TNT."
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