It wasn’t a finals series to remember for Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee, and the question now is his availability for the next PBA conference.
By any measure, the Season 49 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals was not one that Barangay Ginebra resident import Justin Brownlee will want to remember.
Brownlee struggled against the TNT Tropang Giga’s defense for most of the series, which TNT won in six games last Friday. He averaged only 19.7 points per game, his lowest in a PBA finals, and in Game 5 was held to a PBA career-low eight points. It marked the only time he has scored in single digits in a PBA game since his first appearance for the Barangay in 2016.
For the entire finals, Brownlee made just four three-point shots, shooting only 20% from that distance, although he was 3-of-16 on four-pointers. And in a must-win Game 6, he managed only 16 points on 8-of-21 shooting in 45 minutes of playing time.
No doubt, TNT’s league-leading defense has something to do with that, but it’s also possible that Justin Brownlee was simply worn out.
“He’s not Superman and again when he’s not playing well, that’s on me,” Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone told reporters after TNT’s title-clinching 95-85 win. “That’s my fault, that’s not him. I’ve got to figure out a way to get him open, get him free, get him shots and I wasn’t able to do that this time.”
Justin Brownlee is ticketed to be Ginebra’s import in the Commissioner’s Cup, which starts on Nov. 29 and will allow all 13 teams (including guest team Hong Kong Eastern) to sign up one import of unlimited height.
When asked if Brownlee playing in the Commissioner’s Cup for Ginebra is a done deal, Cone said the decision is entirely up to his import.
“If he wants to be. It’s 100% yes, if he wants to be. “The question is whether he’ll want to be. He’s a little worn down, he’s talked about maybe taking the conference off, but we’ll see, give him a week or two to rest and maybe he’ll change his tune.”
Brownlee will hardly get any rest in between conferences as he’s booked to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas in the November window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers. Gilas plays New Zealand on Nov. 21 and Hong Kong on Nov. 24. The team will enter training camp at the Inspire Academy in Biñan on Nov. 16.
“Right now, he’s got to turn around in a week and start practicing with Gilas. So he’s got Gilas next and then what, three days after Gilas, the new conference starts. So it’s a little unfair for him at this point. He came from Indonesia, he got here, had to have this long conference and now he has to go to Gilas and then has to go to the next conference.
“That’s really going to be on him, but it’s his choice. We’re not going to make that decision for him. He’s going to decide on his own whether he wants to play or not.”
Ginebra fans eager to see Justin Brownlee next conference need not fret too much, as Cone said as of now it’s status quo for Brownlee and Ginebra in the Commissioner’s Cup.
“At this point, we are not looking at all for a backup. We don’t have anybody in mind. We are hoping that he and Maia (Gray) will both be available next conference.”
Meanwhile, another Ginebra star on the Gilas roster, Japeth Aguilar, may sit out the FIBA window as he is also likely worn down from the finals. However, with Jamie Malonzo still unavailable, Aguilar might have to play.
“Yes, he’s an alternate, part of the 14,” Cone said. “So right now, we have one guy who’s out, that’s Jamie. So it’s either got to be him or Mason (Amos). Again, that’s going to be up to Japeth. Japepth is going to decide that whether he wants to play, whether he feels he has the energy to play or not.
“So we will leave that up to Japeth. If not, Mason will be the 12th guy.”
Banner Images from PBA Media Bureau.