Meralco switches import, brings in veteran KJ McDaniels

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Meralco Bolts are looking to salvage their ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup season after replacing Johnny O’ Bryant with a familiar name in KJ McDaniels.

With O’ Bryant as their import, Meralco had an unexpected dip in the Commissioner’s Cup after kicking off their season with a disappointing 1-5 win-loss record.

The Meralco management then announced that they will be bringing in the former NBA player who also rendered his services to the NLEX Road Warriors last 2021-2022 Governor’s Cup.

Meralco’s chief orchestrator coach Norman Black also confirmed that McDaniels is expected to don the orange and white jersey when the Bolts clash with the foreign guest team Bay Area Dragons.

Despite the losing start, the Bolts still do have a chance of entering the playoffs with five games remaining in their playing calendar.

If Meralco enters a winning streak while the current seventh-eighth teams face a winning drought, there will be a huge possibility that the Bolts may clinch a last-minute post-season spot.

The coaching staff headed by Black are still believing they could pull off something big in the last five games, even without their main gunner Chris Newsome.

Newsome was sidelined due to an injury and failed to reinforce Meralco for one full month in the last five games.

With McDaniels already familiar with the PBA play-style, Black and the rest of the Bolts are banking on the former Philadelphia 76er to turn things around for their franchise.

After the Dragons, the Bolts will be facing the San Miguel Beermen, Blackwater Elite, TNT Tropang Giga, and the Magnolia Hotshots Chicken Timplados.