Magnolia guard Paul Lee.-PBA PHOTO
Prior to capturing Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors at the All-Star Game last year, Paul Lee had doubts if the special four-point line introduced in the exhibition classic would become a regular thing on the PBA hardcourt.
“Maybe in the All-Star Game, but I don’t see that thing happening [in regular games],” Lee said before that edition was held in Passi City, Iloilo.
But with the rule set to be implemented starting with the season-opening Governors’ Cup next month, Lee and other renowned shooters are expected to take advantage of the new line which continues to be a hot topic since the Board of Governors gave it a thumbs-up during the league’s planning session in Osaka, Japan.The Magnolia star is expected to be the player who will mostly benefit from the added line since shooting from way beyond the three-point arc has been a norm for him.
No exact data is available on how many conversions and attempts Lee makes, but it’s common practice for him to take at least one each game, oftentimes resulting in key results for the Hotshots.
While it seems that Lee does it effortlessly, it’s not as easy as it looks, he said.
“If you don’t work on it [regularly], after three or four days, you’ll get back to zero,” said Lee. “You have really put time on it in order to maintain your rhythm and muscle memory back.”
Lee knocked down seven of 13 shots from that distance, measured at 27 feet, during the 2023 All-Star Game, which eventually gave him the aforementioned MVP award as his Team Japeth took down Team Scottie, 140-136.
Same approachLast March, the All-Star game ended in a 140-all tie between Team Mark and Team Japeth after Robert Bolick hit a five-point play in the dying seconds. That capped off an incredible comeback by Team Mark from nine down, starting with Bolick’s four-pointer.Bolick is no stranger to hitting long shots, perhaps an example of the current generation of hoopers who have embraced the way how the game has evolved into a more perimeter brand of play.It’s that kind of excitement the league hopes to see once the season starts, and players take their aim at the shot from way out. Already, some teams have installed the four-point line for practice, albeit in a hash mark which suggests the setup the PBA will place in arenas.
As different opinions continue to come out, players like Lee and Bolick who stand to benefit from the rule would rather not change their approach in game preparations.
“Whether there’s a [four-point line] or not, it’s fine because that’s where I’m comfortable anyway,” Lee said.