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| Photo courtesy of interaksyon.com |
When
Paul Lee was discovered to have a tear in his meniscus and anterior cruciate
ligament (ACL), the reverberations of that injury was felt not just by his PBA
team, the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters, but also by the Gilas national team.
Fortunately
for Gilas, this injury will not have a major impact in their preparations for
next year’s Olympic qualifiers. Unfortunately for the Elasto Painters, this
injury will define their campaign in the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup.
Here
are the four aspects where the Elasto Painters will feel Lee’s absence:
Playmaking
Paul
Lee is, in simple words, a playmaker. He makes good things happen, whether with
good passing, strong drives to the rim, kick outs to open shooters, hitting
open shots to keep the defenses honest, or controlling the tempo of the game to
better suit the Rain Or Shine game plan.
He’s
the focal point and engine of the Rain or Shine offense, which means that when
Paul Lee is in the zone, he can almost singlehandedly destroy opposing defenses.
The
fact that he can do it in so many ways, not just by scoring a ton, makes him
especially hard to replace. Just consider his stats from last year’s PBA
season: 15.5ppg, 4.5rpg, and 3.3 apg. Those are major numbers for someone who
plays just 27 minutes a game.
Shooting
Paul
Lee had always been known as a scorer, not so much as a pure shooter. But that
doesn’t mean that he can’t shoot. In fact, Paul Lee has been more than capable
from long distance, shooting an impressive 39% from three-point land. That puts
him squarely in the top 10 among three-point marksmen in the league.
This
is crucial in that defenders can’t afford to sag off Lee, in fear of him
getting off an in-your-face three. And when defenders play Lee tight, the
threat of him blowing by for an easy lay up becomes all too real.
Lee’s
shooting ability also ensures that big men like JR Quinahan, Beau Belga,
Raymond Almazan and Gabe Norwood have enough space in the painted area to
operate in. With Lee’s defender unable to help pack the shaded lane, it becomes
easier for the Painters big men to score up close.
Clutchness
Remember
those three free throws that Paul Lee hit for the win in the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup,
with no time left on the clock, against China in Wuhan? If only for that
sequence, I think we can all safely say that Lee is as clutch as a player can
get.
Which
isn’t to say that he’s perfect in clutch situations. But then again, no one is.
But if there were three seconds left on the clock and you needed a shot to win,
wouldn’t you feel damn good if you knew Paul Lee was the one who would take it?
I know I would.
Paul
Lee has proven his ability to hit tough shots, not just buzzer beating, game
winning shots, during his UAAP and PBA career. To have a guy who is not afraid
to take the game winning or game losing shot is such a luxury. We certainly
could have used him in the game against Palestine, when the Gilas team froze in
the last two minutes of play, seemingly afraid to put up a shot. Lee would have
taken all the tough shots and said to hell with the consequences.
Physical Defense
While
not ideal, effective offensive players are more often than not, lackadaisical
on defense. And they’re usually forgiven for it, because their job is to score
buckets, not stop them.
Paul
Lee isn’t one of them. He’s a bruising guard with size and heft, and he knows
how to use his physical attributes to the hilt. While not especially quick,
he’s experienced enough to not let faster guards blow by him and is crafty
enough to lead them to his shot blockers (Almazan and Norwood) or his
intimidators (Belga and Quinahan).
While
his shape may not be as impressive as some of the PBA’s more muscular guards,
he is big and physical enough not to be bullied by them. He’s also sneaky with
his hands on defense and is steady on the blocks. And when your main offensive
weapon isn’t a liability on defense, you know you’ve got a good thing going.
The Hard Task of Replacing The Lee-thal
Weapon
With
Paul Lee’s injury, you can bet that the Rain Or Shine coaching staff are
wracking their brains for who can replace him in their rotation.
The
alternative to Paul Lee should logically be Jeff Chan. However, Chan doesn’t
have Lee’s handles, his strong driving presence, or his passing ability. He’s
much better as a catch-and-shoot threat than as an all-around offensive weapon.
Same thing with Chris Tiu, who is weak
on the defensive side of the ball.
Veteran
Gabe Norwood, the other logical alternative, has always been better as a
lockdown defender than as a gunner and the team’s other players of note are big
men, most suitable as targets of offensive plays, as opposed to being instigators.
Which
is why Jericho Cruz had his moment of glory in ROS’ opening game against the
Purefoods Star Hotshots. Cruz scored 15 points and had 5 rebounds but I don’t
think Cruz has enough experience yet to have produce consistently, especially
when the opposing defense starts to key in on him.
That
is where having someone like Paul Lee in the lineup becomes a major advantage,
because you have to game plan for him and hope someone else doesn’t beat you.
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