Subs out to make waves

There are 22 games left to play before the end of the PBA Governors’ Cup eliminations on Oct. 21 and the calendar includes two contests that were postponed due to heavy rains last Aug. 9. Four teams have made import changes since the start of hostilities with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Justin Brownlee expected to reclaim their roster spots in time for the playoffs.

The race for eight quarterfinal slots is tight. In Group A, NLEX and San Miguel Beer lead the way with 7-2 records then it’s Converge at 5-4, TNT at 4-4, Terrafirma at 3-5, Macau at 2-6 and Titan at 2-7. In Group B, on top is Rain or Shine at 4-2 then Magnolia and Phoenix at 4-3, Blackwater at 3-3, Meralco at 3-5 and Barangay Ginebra at 2-4. The top four placers from both groups advance to the crossover best-of-five quarterfinals with the survivors moving to the best-of-five semifinals. The last two standing will face off in the best-of-seven finals.

NLEX will unveil NBA veteran Deonte Burton who took over from the injured DeQuan Jones. Burton, 32, couldn’t make it on short notice for the Road Warriors’ game against Converge last Friday and NLEX played importless in losing a two-point decision. The former Marquette and Iowa State standout played a total of 73 games for OKC and Sacramento over three NBA seasons, earning $1.67 million and had a five-year stint in the NBA G-League, including two seasons with the Stockton Kings. NLEX coach Jimmy Alapag worked with Burton in the G-League so the familiarity is a plus. Burton has seen action in Korea, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and China. His career highs include 46 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.

Meralco has activated original import Jordon Varnado who couldn’t start the conference with a calf strain and was temporarily replaced by Antonio Hester. Varnado, 29, averaged double figure points in all four years at Troy University and suited up for Toronto in the NBA Summer League. He’s not new to the Meralco organization, having played for the Bolts in the 2025 BCL Asia. His career highs include 33 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. In his PBA debut, Varnado fired 31 points to lead Meralco to a 97-88 win over Ginebra last Friday.

Converge brought back Cameron Clark to replace Jamaal Franklin who had bumped off Jalen Hudson. Clark, 34, previously played for NLEX in the 2022 Governors’ Cup, San Miguel in the 2023 Governors’ Cup and Eastern in the 2024-25 Commissioner’s Cup. His career highs include 48 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. The former University of Alabama guard-forward once played for Milwaukee in the NBA Summer League.

TNT dismissed Darius Days and signed up RHJ’s older brother Rahlir. The Tropang 5G is 2-2 with Rahlir who had played for TNT in the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup and EASL. Rahlir, 35, hooped for Detroit and Phoenix in the NBA Summer League and made the Pistons lineup in the preseason. The Temple University grad’s career highs include 50 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. When RHJ is available, Rahlir will make way. At Ginebra, Riley Grigsby is also expected to move out when Brownlee returns.