MANILA, Philippines -- After a difficult stretch in which Gilas Pilipinas searched for consistency during the first round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, the Philippines finally found its footing when it mattered in the fourth window -- claiming back-to-back victories over Jordan and Iran to breathe new life into its campaign.
The two wins did more than improve Gilas' record to 4-4 in the second round. They offered a glimpse of what this team can potentially tap into and gave coach Tim Cone's squad valuable lessons to carry into the fifth window, despite the absence of Justin Brownlee.
We deliver key takeaways from Gilas' fourth-window turnaround that could prove crucial heading into the next stage of the qualifiers.
Gomez de Liano's offensive spark comes with a defensive caveat
One thing that can be expected from a dynamic offensive guard like Juan Gomez de Liano is his ability to manufacture points in myriad ways.
That was evident in Gilas' Window 3 loss to New Zealand when the Converge guard erupted for 23 points on 74.5% true shooting.
Against Iran on Sunday, he once again provided an offensive spark -- finishing with 16 points on 74.4% true shooting.
The reality is simple: Gomez de Liano remains one of Gilas' most potent off-the-dribble creators among its guards. He can get downhill and pressure the rim, create separation for pull-ups, and generate offense when a possession breaks down.
More importantly, he gives the Philippines a different kind of scoring threat from the backcourt, one that does not always need a perfectly executed half-court action to produce a quality shot.
Gomez de Liano must complement his offensive value with more consistency on the other end if he is to take another step in Gilas' rotation..
The 26-year-old guard was unable to stay on the floor for much of Gilas' first game of the window in Manila, against Jordan, as he was constantly targeted in ball-screen actions involving Freddy Ibrahim and Jalen Harris. He finished with no points and became a nonfactor in Gilas' win.
Despite his strong offensive outing against Iran, the former UP Fighting Maroon also had a difficult assignment against Mobin Sheikhi; the Iranian scored 21 points.
Moving forward, staying attached to his man, navigating screens, and preventing straight-line drives will become even more important as Gilas needs victories in the succeeding windows.
Averaging 9.3 points per game through eight assignments in the qualifiers, Gilas needs Gomez de Liano to become reliable enough defensively for Cone to keep his offensive creation on the floor without having to sacrifice too much on the other end.
Thompson and Perez bring much-needed energy
Scottie Thompson and CJ Perez were sidelined by injuries in the third window, and their return against Jordan provided Gilas with a much-needed injection of energy on both ends of the floor.
For Thompson, in particular, his impact went well beyond his one-point outing.
Tasked with chasing Jalen Harris around screens, the former PBA MVP helped make life difficult for Jordan's primary scorer.
Harris still finished with 19 points, but he needed 22 attempts to get there and shot just 27.3% from the field, including a 2-for-11 clip in the second half.
Thompson's ability to navigate off-ball screens, stay attached and deny Harris clean looks, coupled with AJ Edu's aggressive hedging on ball screens, played a major role in containing Jordan's offense.
Perez, meanwhile, provided his usual downhill punch.
The San Miguel guard's ability to get into the paint, finish through contact, and collapse the defense gave Gilas another way to generate offense outside of its structured sets.
He scored 16 points on 50% shooting against Jordan, doing much of his damage through isolation and attacking gaps, especially when the triangle offense became stagnant.
But in the ensuing game against Iran, Thompson struggled to make an offensive impact, finishing with no points, while Perez was held to just three points.
For Gilas, both are at their best when they can provide those bursts of defensive pressure, transition play, and downhill scoring rather than being asked to carry extended stretches.
Gilas must create more room to operate
If there is one offensive area Gilas Pilipinas needs to address before the fifth window, it is shooting.
The Philippines shot just 25.4% from the three-point range through the first four windows, the worst mark among the teams in the second round.
Without Brownlee, that lack of shooting becomes even more glaring because Gilas loses its biggest offensive safety net, and opponents can afford to load up the paint against Kai Sotto's inside touches.
The problem extends to some of Gilas' primary offensive pieces.
Dwight Ramos has converted just 16.7% of his 3-point attempts, while Gomez de Liano has been the team's more reliable perimeter option at 31% on 4.8 attempts per game, numbers that still leave plenty to be desired.
Gilas has enough players who can attack the paint, but those driving lanes become increasingly difficult to access when defenses do not respect the shooters around them.
Whether Sotto returns to the qualifiers or Brownlee is ready by then remains uncertain, but generating quality looks from beyond the arc should be a priority when Gilas takes on Jordan and Iran again.
