THOUGHTS | JUSTIN PATTON'S AWOL

In a Fastbreak.ph article, San Miguel import Justin Patton boldly said it would be an “easy” game the next time the Beermen and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters cross paths. This came after ROS squeaked past the Beermen, 116–112, with five players scoring in double digits, led by Jaylen Johnson’s 35 points and 21 rebounds. Those are strong words from the SMB import, who replaced Marcus Lee after the Beermen's 1–2 start.

The loss to ROS was the first defeat for the Beermen with Patton, a former NBA player, as their import, but it felt like just a minor hiccup in their path.

But wait!

Breaking news!

Patton just went AWOL on San Miguel Beermen!

HUWATTTT????

Now, I could speculate on a lot of things, but I won’t, because we don’t know the full details yet. Reports say Patton was dealing with an illness, was absent from their Saturday practice, and then simply did not show up for their game against the Magnolia Hotshots.

Without Patton, the Hotshots dominated San Miguel, winning convincingly, 120–101. Magnolia's import, Clint Chapman, erupted for 34 points. Patton’s absence was crucial, since Chapman had only 18 points in their previous game against Ginebra.

The Beermen are now tied with the Hotshots for eighth place at 3–4, with five games left in the eliminations.

The good news for San Miguel is that Bennie Boatwright’s KBL contract has expired, and he is set to return and replicate the championship run he delivered in the 2023–24 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

But...

Hmmm...

If I can put on my conspiracy hat for a moment, it feels convenient that San Miguel lost Patton and found Boatwright after the Sunday no-show. I guess that Patton got word on Friday that he would be replaced. As a former NBA player who helped the Beermen win two straight games before the ROS loss, he may not have taken that well.

If you recall the closing moments of the ROS game, Patton missed a three-pointer, slowly got back on defense after Marcio Lassiter’s steal, and then missed a four-point shot that could have sent the game to overtime. He then made that “easy game” remark about Rain or Shine.

And suddenly, he gets news that he might be replaced?

Or maybe Boatwright’s name was already being floated, and it affected his mindset? You can see similar situations elsewhere—like with Bol Manute Bol—although this former NBA player remains professional in how he handles things with TNT Tropang 5G inside the court. Yes, he shies away from interviews, but there is no denying that he's a certified pain for the opposing squads.

But unlike Bol though, Patton is not exactly a household name in the Philippines, and it’s not like he has established himself as an elite import. His scoring dropped from 24 to 17 to 12 points since his debut. Yes, he averages 17 rebounds, but since he joined the team, June Mar Fajardo’s numbers have dipped as well.

At the end of the day, he is still a professional basketball player—and an import at that. If a local player’s job is to perform, then an import’s job is to perform while making sure the team gets its money’s worth. Where is the professionalism if you go AWOL on your team? It’s clear his absence played a major role in San Miguel’s loss to Magnolia.

I understand that imports are not always the primary scorers like before, and that locals and coaches must adjust in difficult situations. But if an import is paid to show up and he is not there—physically and mentally—then that falls on him.

I don’t think San Miguel would want to hide something like this, especially if they can't understand it as well. Players are given proper living arrangements, assistance, and allowances. And we're talking about San Miguel here. This is a corporation that also has two other powerhouse teams in the PBA. Locking yourself in a hotel room and leaving the team hanging, regardless of the reason, is unacceptable.

What makes this worse is that Marcus Lee, in comparison, showed more professionalism. He struggled early, scoring just 14 points across his first two games before dropping 30 against TNT, which was to be his final game, but you can still see him cheer his team, especially in Patton's first two games. He could have left the Philippines, but instead, he remained near the bench, observing and waiting to see if he would be brought back before eventually departing. If he had stayed one more week, he might have even been activated while the team waited for Boatwright. Maybe the rules don’t allow a direct swap of healthy imports, but at least Lee left on good terms.

Again, we don’t know the full story behind Patton going MIA. But incidents like this bring to mind past controversies involving imports like Jamelle Cornley and Walter Sharpe, who drew criticism for off-court issues. Hopefully, the arrival of Bennie Boatwright ends San Miguel’s “import-novela,” especially since he is even being considered as a naturalization candidate for Gilas Pilipinas.

At the end of the day, this is one instance where I agree with San Miguel: they need a reliable import, thus the import change. Whether it’s a top team, a farm team, an SMC squad, an MVP team, or an independent franchise, every team deserves to compete without an import that's holding them down. And again, I don’t want to speculate, but hopefully this is just a case of ego—and nothing more serious.