MANILA, Philippines – NLEX is taking a different route with hopes of salvaging its campaign in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The Road Warriors tapped DeAndre Williams-Baldwin, a player fresh out of college, to be their new import as they hope to win their last two games of the elimination round to stay in the playoff hunt.

Williams-Baldwin replaces Stokley Chaffee Jr., whose five-game run with NLEX resulted in just one win.

Coming in as a replacement for former NBA player Thomas Robinson, Chaffee averaged solid numbers of 22.8 points, 13 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1 block, but victories have eluded the Road Warriors.

NLEX sits at ninth place with a 3-6 record and needs to win its last two matches to either force a sudden death for the last quarterfinal berth or secure an outright playoff spot.

Williams-Baldwin played four seasons in the US NCAA, first with the Evansville Purple Aces and then his last three years with the Memphis Tigers.

In his final season for Memphis last year, the 6-foot-9 Williams-Baldwin averaged 17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.5 steals.

He debuts for the Road Warriors on Wednesday, January 10, against struggling Converge at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com