TNT has decided to tap former San Miguel import Chris McCullough as its replacement for 7-foot-3 unicorn Bol Bol, who went down with an Achilles injury in Game 2.

McCullough was inside the Mall of Asia Arena when an All-Filipino Tropang 5G pulled through with a 77-75 victory over the Meralco Bolts to take a 2-1 lead in the semifinals series.

It was a wild search for TNT in the last two days, first trying to bring in NBA-caliber imports like Darius Days and Marquese Chriss before initially settling for Malick Diouf.

TNT, though, ended up playing without an import as Diouf’s paper didn’t make it on time in Game 3

“It's very ticklish because on one end, introducing a new element to the team can always go both ways. It can give us a jolt of energy. But it can also get in the way of already how smooth things are going with the team,” said Reyes.

But there’s no doubt that McCullough’s arrival would be a big boost for TNT even after coming away with a win with an all-Filipino lineup.

“I think the stability and maturity of somebody who's been here already has won before,” Reyes said of McCullough who steered San Miguel to a title in the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup.

“When a new import comes in, there's a lot of adjustments. Adjustment to the time, the weather, the culture, the kind of game. And then adjustment with his teammates. So with McCullough, at least those variables we've taken out already, adjustment na lang with his teammates,” he added.

Reyes, however, is keeping some window open for Diouf as he intends to use the two imports during practices to see which one better fits the team.

“We still want to see both of them because we want to see who will fit us better. Well, we all know the caliber of McCollough, except we're not really sure the kind of game shape he's been coming off his stint in Taiwan. But at least he's been playing,” Reyes explained.