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| MVP. Diliman bound. |
Name: Juan Gomez de Liano
Age: 17
School/Team: UPIS JuniorMaroons
Years of eligibility left: 0 (Graduating)
Committed to: UP Fighting Maroons
Height: 6'3"
Position: Combo Guard
Projected Position: Combo Guard
Quick Hits
Strengths:
- Polished offensive game
- Capable of playing multiple positions
- Great passing ability
- Great size for a point guard
- Great physical tools
Weaknesses:
- Hasn't shown ability to defend
- Isn't used to playing with players with same talent
- Leadership is unproven
The UP Fighting Maroons have long been aching to go back to the Final Four. It's been losing season after losing seasons for the Maroons. It's even reached a point that a Twitter named "Did UP win today?" became a hit with fans. Instead of being recognized as the top university in the country, University of the Philippines turned into a running joke for other schools. Mention the name UP, and probably the first thing that enters a person's mind is "losing".
Coach Bo Perasol and staff looked to change that mindset.
With players like Javi Gomez de Liano, Diego Dario and Paul Desiderio leading the charge, the UP Fighting Maroons had a resurgent season last Season 79, ending with a 5-9 record. Beyond that was a perceived change in culture. Instead of treating UP as a team which was an easy win for other schools, Coach Bo and his players looked to change the identity of their team. UP is a school for winners.
With Juan Gomez de Liano, they hope to further elevate that identity of theirs.
But, is Juan really as good as people say he is?
Offense
The most common comparison for Juan GDL is James Harden. They're both lefties, crazy scorers, and are capable play makers. But I think a more apt comparison for Juan at this stage of his career is D'Angelo Russell.
Juan doesn't have the explosive first step which James Harden has just yet. He's got hops, yes, but he isn't an explosive athlete just yet. What he does have, however, is a diverse skill set that is built to play multiple positions. Need him to play off ball? Sure. He has the smarts and the speed to roam around the court to look for open spots. Need someone to feed the ball to in the low post? Juan's post game isn't perfect just yet, but he has great size for a guard. Need a play maker? Juan GDL is your guy. He's used this versatile skill set to manufacture points for himself. He has an improving jumper, and a great penetration game. Not only can he finish around the basket, but he can also draw the foul.
Don't mistake Juan as a one trick pony. An underrated part of his game is his ability to create opportunities for others. Because of how much attention he gets with his shooting and penetration, he's able to zip great passes to his teammates, getting them for open looks. Granted, he wasn't able to show this off that much in a UPIS team where he was probably their only capable creator. But surround Juan with a ton of weapons, and he'll capitalize.
Probably the only problem with his game is his decision making. Sometimes he forces the issue too much, but we have to cut him some slack with that. He wasn't playing in the most talented UPIS team ever. As the main guy, sometimes you have the tendency to be on attack mode 24/7. Juan has to learn how to balance that, given that he has more talented teammates surrounding him come college.
Other than that? Juan's offensive game is as smooth and as complete as they come.
Defense
As complete as Juan's offensive game is, his defense needs a ton of work.
That's not to say that it's hopeless for Juan to be a great defender come college. He averaged 1.5 steals for his last year in High School, and has shown flashes of being a decent defender. But with regards to his overall body of work, it's mostly been disappointing.
There's a ton of factors for this. For one, Juan is the main scorer of UPIS. You could even go as far as saying that he's their only scorer. Since he shoulders such a huge load in their offense, he reserves his energy with scoring. When it comes to defense? His effort isn't consistent.
It also doesn't help that Juan is paired with one of the best thieves in the game in Ralph Labao. With the knowledge that a great defender is backing him up, Juan isn't obliged to give his very best on the defensive end.
Despite his issues with effort, that's not to say he's a hopeless case. For one, he won't be handling the ball as much in college, so he can exert more effort on the defensive end. With the physical tools that he has? He can be a great defender in the long run.
Physical Tools
Juan has been listed to as low as 6'0" to as high as 6'3". Whatever the case may be, Juan GDL is a 6 footer, who has a ton of length in him.
This is what makes Juan such a nightmare to defend. Not only does he have an elite skill set, but he also has the physical tools to help him out. He has long arms to create baskets around the rim, and the height to shoot over smaller defenders.
He's shown the ability to use these tools in the offensive end, but what will truly be interesting is how he uses these in the defensive end. His body screams lock down defender, but can his mind convince him to be one? He has the tools to be a legitimate two way threat. That's a great start for him. But can the effort follow?
With regards to his athletic ability, he has hops. He's dunked in games before. But he isn't an explosive athlete like a Kiefer Ravena in the Philippines or a Russell Westbrook in the NBA. What he does is use his length paired with great timing. Offensively, he gets buckets. Defensively, the potential to shut down opposing wings is there.
Basketball IQ/Intangibles
Juan is a talented player, yes. He has the tools to be a great basketball player at the end of it all. But in terms of being a leader, he isn't there just yet.
The main argument you can put with regards to this is how he wasn't able to lead his team to the Final Four. A factor is definitely the lack of talent surrounding him and how deep the rest of the competition is. But losing to a Zobel team that you beat the previous round by 20+ points in a do or die isn't exactly the best look for Juan.
Despite that, Juan is a smart basketball player. Decision making issues be damned, he's shown that he has the intelligence to lead a team. But does he have the leadership in him to do so? Thankfully, he has guys like Paul Desiderio, his brother Javi Gomez de Liano and UP assistant coach Alex Cabagnot to help him become a better leader.
Overall
Will UP make the Final Four next season? Probably not. There's a ton of teams who have a ton of ripe talent in their squad. What they have however is a ton of hope. Juan happens to be one of the players who can help strengthen that fire of hope which the UP faithful have with regards to their basketball team.
He has an almost complete offensive game, and physical tools built for a point guard of the new age. His defense needs work, but it isn't anything that is hopeless. He has the tools to be a great defender, what's needed from him is the effort to be a great two way guy.
Is he the final piece to UP's Final Four puzzle? We can't answer that yet, But based on what he has shown and what he could show, he could very well be that final piece.
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