Just when the rumor mill began spinning tales of discontent, Robert Bolick silenced the noise with a firm commitment to NLEX. The star guard clarified there's no rift between him and head coach Jong Uichico and reaffirmed his loyalty and shared vision for the team's future.
Now that Bolick has made it clear he's all-in, the next step for NLEX is just as crucial: building a stronger, more competitive team around their franchise cornerstone. While Boick offers much-needed stability, his presence doesn't automatically translate to contender status. Since acquiring Bolick, the team's ceiling has been the quarterfinals -- a respectable showing, but still far from the championship conversation.
So what must NLEX do to take that next leap? Let's take a closer look.
Make the offense unpredictable
It's hard to tell exactly how frequently NLEX has run pick-and-rolls in the past few conferences, but when watching their games, it's easy to deduce that the majority of this action involved Bolick. In these plays, the team's offense relied upon what he can generate out of those ball screens, which can certainly be exploited once a squad has the personnel to show aggressive blitzes and hedges on him. This ultimately takes Bolick out of these possessions.
His teammates should be empowered to take the pressure off Bolick to make NLEX a more formidable offense. That's exactly the change the team has made as it implemented a system with more ball movement. For this time, the responsibility of creating and generating offense is not solely on Bolick.
The first two games of this move by NLEX have produced mixed results. It was a struggle for the team to score efficiently in their maiden assignment of the conference against San Miguel, as NLEX shot at an awful rate of 35.4%. But it was the total opposite in the following game versus Rain or Shine by getting the win and scoring 109 points on 55.3% clip from the field.
What's interesting in these games were the assist numbers, where NLEX had 20+ in both games -- a strong indicator that the ball is moving better, and more players are getting involved in making plays. Instead of waiting for Bolick to make something happen every trip down the floor, teammates are cutting harder, setting smarter screens, and making quicker decisions -- all of which point to a more deliberate attempt to play within a cohesive offensive flow.
Embrace your personnel
NLEX's biggest deficiency is its lack of traditional big men -- a flaw made even more apparent in the Philippine Cup, where no imports are allowed. Mike Miranda stands as the only true center in their current rotation, while the rest of the frontcourt leans more toward wing or tweener profiles.
Rather than shying away from this lineup limitation, NLEX can lean into it by fully embracing small ball and committing to a 4-out or even 5-out offensive setup. By spacing the floor and utilizing their versatile forwards in a more dynamic, perimeter-oriented system, they can create driving lanes, generate mismatches, and force opposing bigs to defend in uncomfortable spots. It's a stylistic adjustment that turns a weakness into a potential strength -- especially if they can knock down shots consistently and stay active on the boards.
A blueprint for how this approach can work was seen in NLEX's recent win over Rain or Shine, where the team drained 11 triples at a scorching 61.1% clip. While it's worth noting that their opponent also lacked interior size, the success of playing a more perimeter-oriented style only reinforces the logic behind this direction.
Xyrus Torres' 28-point explosion and Anthony Semerad's 18-point outing may be statistical outliers, but they highlight the value of having reliable floor spacers. These are players who carry the reputation of being threats from deep and will naturally draw defenders out to the perimeter, where NLEX can definitely put premium in the coming games as they only shot 18 attempts from deep range for this particular game.
If Bolick can continue to read the floor and make the right passes when defenses collapse on him, shooters like Torres and Semerad will keep finding opportunities -- and that's when this small-ball system truly begins to hum.
Lessening the 4-point shots of Bolick
Despite a quiet outing against San Miguel, Bolick's numbers remain impressive. He's averaging 17.5 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists on a 56.6% true shooting rate, while knocking down free throws at a remarkable 94.4%. It's the kind of all-around production you'd expect from a player shouldering a heavy offensive load.
However, one element continues to drag down his efficiency - his shot selection from the 4-point line. While the sample size in the current conference is still small, Bolick has missed all five of his attempts from that range. This isn't a new issue either. In the previous Governors' Cup, he converted just 16.7% of his 36 attempts from deep 4-point territory.
With numbers like that, it's becoming increasingly clear that dialing back on those long bombs might be in the team's best interest. Bolick is far more effective when attacking the rim, pulling up from midrange, or orchestrating plays for teammates. The occasional 4-point shot might be useful as a heat check or late-clock option, but making it a regular part of his shot diet does more harm than good - both for his efficiency and the team's rhythm.