Watch out for 'motivated' Justin Brownlee in FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, says Gilas' Tim Cone

There’s nothing like a motivated Justin Brownlee.

And that’s exactly what Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone is expecting to see from the naturalized Filipino in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers later this month.

“I’m motivated to bounce back. Even more so, Justin is motivated to bounce back,” said Cone.

“And I’m looking forward to that. Like I said, when I have a motivated Justin, watch out.”

[RELATED STORY: Tim Cone says Gilas has shot to score first win vs New Zealand]

Cone and Brownlee are coming off a stinging PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup Finals loss against TNT where the latter relatively struggled against the Tropang Giga’s super defense.

He averaged 19.67 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 blocks as the Tropang Giga vanquished the Gin Kings in six games in the Last Dance.

“He’s not exactly happy about how he played. I’m not exactly happy about the way we played, I’m not happy about the way I coached,” Cone said.

“I got into a lot of uncomfortable situations during that Finals because of the way Talk 'N Text was playing.”

[ALSO READ: 5th time's the charm? Revisiting the encounters of Gilas Pilipinas and New Zealand in FIBA]

After getting a much-needed rest, Brownlee is joining Gilas at the Inspire Academy in Laguna where the Nationals will be staying until November 18.

After that, Gilas is holding its practice sessions at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on November 19 and 20 where the Asia Cup Qualifiers will take place.

Hurt after ceding the PBA crown to rival Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for the second straight time, Brownlee is expected to vent his ire on New Zealand (November 21) and Hong Kong (November 24)

[ALSO READ: Cone takes responsibility for Brownlee's subpar performance in PBA Finals: 'That’s on me’]

“They (New Zealand) are gonna be reading everything you guys say in the press about what I’m saying, you can be sure of that. I don’t wanna motivate them too much. So bottom line is I think Justin is gonna be ready to play,” Cone said.

“That doesnt mean he’s gonna put up big numbers. That means he’s gonna be locked in with what we do, get his teammates involved and play the game the right way which he does 99 percent of the time.”