Tim Cone confident Brownlee can do better vs Chinese Taipei

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone is confident that naturalized player Justin Brownlee can do better against Chinese Taipei as the Nationals gun for a window sweep on Sunday, Feb 25, at the PhilSports Arena.

The 35-year-old forward didn’t exactly play bad with 16 points, seven rebound and seven assists but Cone, who’s been with Brownlee for years now, knew that his performance was still far from his best.

Brownlee actually needed some time to shake off the rust after a three-month layoff but got his game going in the second half while leading a huge third quarter onslaught from the Nationals.

“He really struggled in the beginning of the game and you could tell he had a little bit of rust,” Cone said of Brownlee in the aftermath of Gilas’ 94-64 win over Hong Kong.

With the game already out of reach in the final frame, Cone decided to keep Brownlee on the court to help get his timing back.

“He hadn't played in like four months so he had a lot of rust to brush off and that’s why we continued to play him in the fourth quarter,” explained Cone.

“I turned to the bench and I said we’re gonna keep Justin in the game so he can continue to get his rhythm so it was great to see him in the first half to get his rhythm and be the Justin that we know,” he added.

Cone said the team is being patient with Brownlee although he admitted that having the veteran forward in best shape would be a huge boost for Gilas especially against a more formidable Chinese Taipei team.

“Obviously we want to be patient for him and we know how good he is. We know how great of a teammate he is so he is just a lifeblood to this team and so we’re happy that he’s back,” said Cone.

“We think he’ll play better against Taiwan and as we go forward. He has that history, he has that pedigree already,” he added.