Getting the playing time he deserved, the once-overlooked Paul Lee of the University of the East (UE) surprised everyone with the level of explosiveness he displayed in the court.

Drafted by Bacchus Energy Drink as one of its direct picks from UE, Lee was not even given the chance to shine by some experts since he did not really make an impact in the UAAP.

But with the break given by coach Lawrence Chongson, the six-footer UE player turned out to be one of the finest players in this year’s PBL PG Flex Linoleum Cup.

His energetic plays also helped Bacchus win their last two outings against Burger King and Hapee Toothpaste and Lee was easily picked as PBL Player of the Week (Dec. 8 to 13).

“I knew he has the talent to play in this league when I took him in and he is proving me right,” said Chongson.

Against BK Stunners, Lee played a supporting role to UE teammate Rudy Lingganay by chipping in 12 points, two rebounds and a steal as Bacchus ended a three-game losing skid with a 78-64 decision.

Four days later, it was Lee’s time to shine, scoring a career-high 27 points on a brilliant 9-of-11 shooting from the field to help power the Energy Warriors to a 106-103 win over Hapee.

He had nine points in the final quarter that saw Bacchus rally from eight points to tie the count at 92 all. Lee was limited to just two points in the five-minute extension but it was his driving lay-up proved to be the killer blow.

He’s now averaging a league-best 17.3 points to outshine veterans Jervy Cruz of Hapee, JV Casio and RJ Jazul of Toyota Otis and Rico Maierhofer of Harbour Centre.