With the biggest stars of the show in Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto already on board, the coming friendly matches will gauge how Gilas Pilipinas will perform in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Gilas head coach Chot Reyes said he is looking forward to their friendly matches against Ivory Coast, Montenegro and Mexico as he wants to see how Clarkson and Sotto will blend with other members of the national pool.

Clarkson, the prized swingman of the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association, has yet to play a game with his Filipino teammates in their preparation for the 32-nation spectacle set to open on 25 August at the Philippine Arena.

He arrived in Manila on 8 August, prompting him to miss their friendly matches in the 2023 Heyuan WUS International Basketball Tournament.

The 7-foot-3 Sotto is also a late inclusion.

Although he has been in the country for more than three weeks, Sotto failed to join the friendly matches in China as he was still nursing a back spasm that he suffered during his final game in the NBA Summer League last July.

Reyes said with Sotto and Clarkson around, their friendlies will serve as a "dress rehearsal" to polish their game plan against powerhouse countries like the Dominican Republic, Italy and Angola in the preliminaries.

"It's the first time we're going to play with Kai and Jordan in this group and they have never played in any of the previous tune-up games since we started on 1 June," Reyes said in a television interview.

"It's very, very important for us to get these friendlies so we really worked hard to make sure to get these friendlies because this is the dress rehearsal. All the other teams we played were without these two players. We'll see."

Gilas will take on Ivory Coast on Friday, Montenegro on Sunday and Mexico on Monday for the final stretch of their World Cup preparation.