Quincy Miller hardly met expectations from San Miguel and that’s exactly the reason why he was let go in favor of new reinforcement in Jabari Narcis.
Coach Leo Austria said that the ex-NBA cager left a lot to be desired during his time with the Beermen juggling duties in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup and in the 2024-25 East Asia Super League (EASL) competitions.
“‘Di namin nakita what we were expecting from him,” he said as their old import found his third stint in the Filipino pro league ending prematurely.
In all fairness with Miller, he was supposed to play only in the EASL but the team couldn’t secure the services of Troy Baxter Jr., their original choice for the mid-season conference, as he wasn’t released by his team in China.
Formerly of Converge and TNT, the 32-year-old big man out of Baylor University struggled to find his niche with San Miguel, winning just once in the six outings he was with them — in the PBA and in the pan-regional tilt combined.
He was still kept although the team brought in Torren Jones to become their import for the ongoing conference, which coincided with Austria’s return at the helm to take the place previously held by now-consultant Jorge Gallent.
Miller stayed for the EASL but their game against Hong Kong Eastern last Wednesday in Wan Chai, an eventual 71-62 defeat, proved to be his last appearance in the red and black — that, after scoring just five in that match.
And a day before their rematch with the Hong Kong A1 Division champions in the PBA stage, the Beermen activated Narcis but in lieu of Jones.
The switch actually raised some eyebrows since the 6-foot-9 forward from Chicago was instrumental in their mini two-game winning streak with commendable averages of 26.5 points and 13.5 rebounds.
It was believed that the move was made after Jones got hit in the nose and was left bloodied in the Eastern game. But according to Austria, the team felt that Narcis could bring more to the table based on what they saw from practice.
Even if it was just two days. “Si Torren, hindi naman [injured]. Ang pinalitan namin si Quincy Miller. And Jabari is bigger than Torren Jones,” he said.
“And with consultation from everybody, they believe that Jabari could help with his size,” Austria added. “He could shoot the three once in a while. He’s an import that could fit with June Mar kasi we needed someone to stretch the floor.”
Narcis had his first test on Sunday night. The 6-foot-9 center from Trinidad and Tobago finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
San Miguel, however, absorbed a 99-91 defeat in overtime, their second loss in a row at the hands Eastern — and their second since Austria returned.
Narcis actually started well with 15 points in the first half but it was evident that he’s still adjusting. He shot 11-of-29 from the floor and had four turnovers.
Austria, though, is keeping the faith that Narcis would get going as the conference goes along, hoping as well that their decision would be worth it.
“Kitang-kita naman kanina, he’s still adjusting. He doesn’t know yet the system and what kind of plays we do because we can’t teach everything in two days,” said the 66-year-old. “But in the future, we hope, it’s different.”
“It just happened na kalaban namin ay Eastern na well-prepared, and kita mo fluidity ng ginagawa nila because they’ve been together a long time,” he added. “I think come playoff time, palarin man kami, it will be a different ball game.”
