Gilas Pilipinas needs the consistency of young gun Dwight Ramos more than ever, with naturalized player Justin Brownlee sitting out the fourth window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Ramos has big shoes to fill as one of the Philippines’ go-to guys in crucial second-round matches against Middle Eastern powerhouse teams Jordan and Iran this weekend at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Gilas, which is on a four-game skid, battles the Jordanians on Friday before taking on the Iranians on Sunday.

Much is expected of the Levanga Hokkaido standout as Gilas’ second-leading scorer, averaging 13.5 points behind Brownlee’s 14.2 markers.

But the 27-year-old two-way guard knows not just one person can fill the big shoes left by Brownlee, who has to sit out due to injuries to his left leg, ankle and knee.

It will take a collective effort from everyone to accomplish Gilas’ daunting tasks in front of the home crowd.

“I think by just playing together as a team. Everyone’s got to contribute and play their role. Play hard, then we’ll see what happens with the result,” Ramos said.

Ramos has played in all six games of the Asian qualifiers, with norms of 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

He is looking to rebound from a dry nine-point outing in Gilas’ 49-92 loss to Australia in Perth on 6 July to cap the first round.

“We’re looking for Dwight to be more of a take-charge guy,” Gilas head coach Tim Cone said.

Holding a 2-4 win-loss record in Group E, Gilas is in a precarious position in the race for the top four to earn a ticket to the main draw in Qatar next year.

“When we first started, we already discussed that we can’t lose one or two games. Shoot for being perfect and then, you know, give ourselves a chance to make the World Cup,” Ramos said.