Sophomore Jinx for Angas ng Tondo?

Hanggang dito na lang ba si Lee
o kaya nya abutin si Mark Caguioa?

Reigning PBA Rookie of the Year Paul Lee of the Rain or Shine Elastopainters was supposed to make the leap from good to great this year.

This was the year that he was supposed to take full control of the Elastopainters, the way a blonde-haired, ankle-breaking, young Mark Caguioa took over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel years back regardless of playing with established names such as Vergel Meneses and Jun Limpot.

It was his year, it was his time, it was his team.

But a nagging shoulder injury that was dislocated during the season-ending PBA Governor's Cup Finals put all of that on hold as Lee would undergo surgery and sit out majority of the new season. Last season, Lee finished with a solid 13 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds stat line while playing in only 27 minutes a night (thanks to Coach Yeng Guiao's balanced, "no superstars" philosophy).

This season, Lee is off to just as solid a start in the 18 games that he has played so far-- 11 points, 3 assists and 4 rebounds while still playing in 25 minutes. Now, while these numbers are as solid as you could want from your point guard who comes off the bench, it's not exactly eye-popping as you'd compare to the Caguioas and other stars of the PBA that Lee was put next to thanks to his impressive debut campaign.

Is it Guiao's system? Probably. But we've seen him play certain guys longer than the rest before such as Willie Miller, Junthy Valenzuela, Jimmy Torion and now with Gabe Norwood and Jeffrei Chan so the minutes shouldn't be an issue. That, plus the fact that Lee is a combo-guard slanting more on the pass-first type so the 3 assists a night should be higher.

A concern here is Lee's injury woes, and if he has really gotten back to his lofty standards. The guy looks a bit on the thick side, bordering on Extra Rice territory so he should work on that. He is also starting to slack off defensively, with the Castros and Mercados able to simply go around him.

Hopefully, Lee bounces back with big performances and gets back in a groove as he did last season. The numbers are solid, but we always want only the best for our players specially the ones who have that air of greatness in them-- just like Lee.