EVEN if it were still with Jonathon Simmons, the real initial tests for the NLEX Road Warriors come in the next two weeks starting with their face-off with the PBA Commissioner’s Cup and Governors’ Cup titlists Barangay Ginebra Kings Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Next up for NLEX in a killer stretch is Magnolia then Converge and Meralco.

A big pressure falls on the shoulder of new NLEX import Wayne Selden after the Road Warriors went perfect in four games with Simmons versus Blackwater (124-102), NorthPort (121-112), TNT (110-108), and Phoenix Super LPG (98-84).

Welcoming Selden in his PBA tour of duty is no less than the newly crowned Commissioner’s Cup titlists who were sharp in their Governors Cup debut, blasting the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 116-108, Sunday.

Coach Tim Cone has been saying it is always difficult to prepare for a tournament following a championship, especially with a tight schedule.

But Justin Brownlee and Co. showed having no problem with that.

The next day, Brownlee and Ginebra ace locals Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar and Jamie Malonzo still had the energy to attend the Gilas Pilipinas practice.

And so Selden and his NLEX teammates have a job cut out for them in their 5:45 tiff with the Kings.

A crash course in two days of practices with the team is what Selden has got going to his showdown with Brownlee.

Selden is also bringing with him a good credentials that include decent numbers in his stints with Memphis, New Orleans, Chicago and New York in the NBA. He is a 6-foot-5 winger who is a product of University of Kansas.

Despite going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, the 28-year-old native of Boston, Massachusetts still had a stellar six-year run in the majors. He played a total of 127 NBA games, putting up career numbers of 7.2 points, 1.99 rebounds, and 1.49 assists per game.

He also made stops in Israel (Ironi Nes Ziona), Turkey (Afyonkarahisar Belediye and Manisa Buyuksehir Belediye), and Italy (Tezenis Scaligera Verona) before his PBA stint.

“There were bumps on the road just to get him here but finally, he has arrived. We are hoping that Wayne can sustain the momentum that we have,” said team manager Larry Fonacier.

“Nakita naman natin how Simms plays. From what I know, si Wayne is a scorer. But with another game on Wednesday against Ginebra, we will give him a crash course on how we run things,” said the NLEX head coach.

Simmons played in the first four games of the conference, helping the Road Warriors past the Bossing, the Batang Pier, the Tropang Giga and the Fuel Master. However, Simmons was made an offer he can’t refuse by Chinese Basketball Association team Shanxi.

“Kinda sad, though, you know. But [there’s] a lot of money on the table, and I’m a family guy,” said Simmons about not being able to finish the conference with NLEX. “It’s more about providing for my family at this point. I’m 33, so I have a short window left to play basketball.”

“As a basketball player myself, we know that we only have a short amount of time to play professionally. When Simms told us about it, it definitely put a wrench on our plans but his future as a professional player is what matters most to our organization,” said Fonacier.

NLEX is moving forward and hoping to hit the road running with Selden.