Not even a decent bounce-back performance from an underwhelming PBA debut was enough for Marcus Lee to satisfy San Miguel.
Despite nailing their first win of the Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup with his help, the Beermen are still bringing in a standby import for the seasoned big man after coming to terms with former NBA center in Justin Patton.
Sources confirmed the development to Tiebreaker Times, and it was later confirmed by sports agency firm Seros Partners on Friday.
His first game, though, could happen as early as Holy Tuesday, March 31, when they take on guest team Macau Black Knights at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, as Patton is expected to arrive this weekend, according to Tiebreaker Times’ sources.
With this, SMB will still go with Lee on Saturday when it faces TNT at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in a rematch of the last two Philippine Cup Finals–and a battle between teams that split their first two games of the midseason tilt.
(C) PBA Images
San Miguel fans have been calling for Lee’s head after an underwhelming performance in their conference debut against Titan Ultra, where he only scored four points alongside five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
The team lost, 119-112, with Coach Leo Austria opting to go with an all-Filipino lineup for the rest of the fourth quarter, which proved effective as they managed to make it a ball game after being down by as many as 22 to the Giant Risers.
Lee promised to do better as the champion mentor shared after their 103-99 escape from the FiberXers, and the numbers did speak for the Kentucky Wildcat as he tallied 10 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks.
However, it wasn’t enough to satisfy both the coaches and management, ultimately parting ways with their original import for the ongoing tourney.
Now, they are set to have Patton, who’s listed at 7-foot-1 and boasts of NBA experience, having had stints from 2017 to 2021 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Houston Rockets.
Seasoned in the NBA G-League as well, the 28-year-old center out of Creighton has been a journeyman since 2021, having played in Israel, France, China, Taiwan, the Dominican Republic, Greece, Puerto Rico, and Saudi Arabia.
Patton most recently played for Al Ahli Jeddah of the Saudi Basketball League, in which he finished as one of the 2024-25 season’s top blockers.
View this post on Instagram
