June Mar Fajardo of the Philippines looks for an open teammate while defended by Kazakhstan’s Dmitry Gavrilov (left) and Rustam Yergali.

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Yeng Guiao believes that with some work, June Mar Fajardo and Greg Slaughter have what it takes to compete in international basketball.

Guiao made this assessment after the Philippines lost to Kazakhstan 92-88 in the first of two games of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers Friday night at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.

A good example is Beau Belga, his former player with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and currently a member of the Gilas squad who can hit it from downtown.

If both and other big guys in the PBA who could potentially suit up for the national team fail to improve on this, they are likely to be ineffective addition according to Guiao.

The same goes on the defensive end since opposing teams are likely to exploit mismatches and target slow-moving centers through pick-and-roll plays anchored on quick guards.