MANILA, Philippines -- Gilas Pilipinas will have to fight for its FIBA World Cup 2027 hopes without Justin Brownlee.
The national team's prized naturalized player will miss Window 4 of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers, leaving Gilas with an all-Filipino lineup for its crucial games against Jordan on Friday, Aug. 28 and Iran on Sunday, Aug. 30, head coach Tim Cone announced on Monday, Aug. 24.
Brownlee instead remains in the United States as he continues to recover from hamstring and leg injuries that bothered him during Gilas' road games against New Zealand and forced him to sit out the matchup against Australia in the July window.
He also did not suit up in Ginebra's games during the first half of the PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup.
"He really is not healthy enough to contribute," Cone said. "We were hoping that those issues would be resolved bu the time we play here. But as it turns out he is just not healthy enough."
Gilas could also not secure the services of naturalized-player candidate Bennie Boatwright, whose naturalization papers have yet to be signed by Philippine president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
Cone added that the national team also looked into the availability of naturalized player Ange Kouame but he is still playing in France.
Gilas must now navigate its most important window yet without its top scorer, who averaged 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in the qualifiers.
The Philippines enters the window with a 2-4 record from the first round after dropping four straight games.
Moreover, Gilas sits fifth in Group E, with the top three teams from each group and the best fourth-place team advancing to the World Cup.
The best fourth-place team is likely to come from Group E since host Qatar is placed in Group F.
Gilas currently trails New Zealand by 2.0 games after the Tall Blacks swept their two meetings against the Philippines in the previous window.
At the same time, Iran and Jordan sit tied at No. 2 in Group E at 5-1, giving Gilas an opportunity to pull both teams back with wins this window.
Two victories would push Gilas to 4-4 and put the Philippines in a more palatable position heading into the final window in November.
A split, however, would leave the Filipinos with little room for error.
While one loss would not immediately eliminate Gilas from contention, it would make the road to Qatar significantly more difficult.
Two losses, meanwhile, would end the Philippines' World Cup hopes.
Brownlee's absence takes away Gilas' most reliable offensive weapon. But with its World Cup hopes hanging in the balance, the Philippines now has no choice but to find another way.
Without Brownlee, Gilas' local core will have to shoulder a much heavier offensive burden.
Dwight Ramos is expected to play a bigger role after emerging as the team's second-leading scorer in the qualifiers behind Brownlee, averaging 13.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in the qualifiers.
The returning Kai Sotto, Kevin Quiambao, CJ Perez, Carl Tamayo and guard Juan Gomez de Liano will also be counted on to provide scoring and stability.