Tempered expectations for Gilas Pilipinas as they start at no. 8 in the initial FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Power Rankings.
It will be tempered expectations for Gilas Pilipinas for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, at least according to the initial volume of the tournament’s Power Rankings.
The Philippines ranked no. 8 out of 16 teams in FIBA Asia’s first rankings, which are separate from the official FIBA World Rankings.
Citing Gilas’ vulnerability due to nagging injuries, it’s a meager placing for the Tim Cone-led squad, for now.
“Gilas Pilipinas project strong athleticism and an up-tempo style, but the prospect of possibly missing Kai Sotto looms large,” FIBA Asia said of Gilas for these initial rankings.
Sotto is all but guaranteed to miss the continental meet after suffering an ACL tear in the B.LEAGUE earlier this year.
His absence was immediately felt, as Gilas Pilipinas dropped their last two games of the Asia Cup qualifiers to both Chinese Taipei and New Zealand.
Aside from Sotto, June Mar Fajardo and Calvin Oftana are dealing with nagging injuries sustained during a full PBA Philippine Cup playoff run.
Some good news for Gilas is the availability of Justin Brownlee, who is now fit to play after suffering a hand injury during Ginebra’s Commissioner’s Cup Finals run.
Two-time defending FIBA Asia Cup champions Australia top the initial power rankings, followed by Japan, New Zealand, China, and Iran.
Lebanon, who made the Finals in 2022, is no. 6 as the rankings account for reigning MVP Wael Arakji’s expected absence from the tournament.