Justin Brownlee likely out of FIBA World Cup Qualifers Window 4, Asian Games

Gilas Pilipinas will likely play in the upcoming FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Window 4 with an all-Filipino roster with Justin Brownlee expected to miss the tournament.

Gilas head coach Tim Cone revealed that Brownlee has yet to join the national team and has informed the management that he’s not healthy enough to play for now.

It is also uncertain whether Brownlee will be available for Gilas’ title defense in the Asian Games.

READ MORE | Gilas Pilipinas results in the last 3 windows of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers

"The big elephant in the room right now is that Justin is not here and will most likely not play so we'll be going on without Justin. That's a big adjustment but with Kai here, June Mar, AJ, we feel like we have the size to be successful in this window," Cone said in a press conference on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

"At this point, he doesn't feel that he's healthy enough to contribute."

Brownlee had multiple injuries prior to Gilas' match against Australia in the third window of the Qualifiers last July, sustaining right hamstring strain, right peroneal tendinopathy, and left knee swelling with cartilage defects.

These injuries have also kept him sidelined from Barangay Ginebra's campaign in the PBA Governors' Cup, where the Gin Kings are currently last in Group B standing with a 2-4 card.

"He was having some issues, obviously, as we know from the last window. We were hoping that those issues would be resolved by the time we play here," Cone added.

"But as it turns out, he said that he's not just that healthy."

Aside from Brownlee's injury, Gilas also couldn't get the services of other naturalized imports in Ange Kouame and Bennie Boatwright.

According to Cone, Kouame still has commitments in France while Boatwright has yet to fully finalize his naturalization documents.

—JMB, GMA News