Scottie Thompson did not suit up for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in their opening game of the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup.
The one-time PBA MVP missed the Gin Kings’ victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Friday, March 8, as Thompson was nursing a back injury, and Ginebra head coach Tim Cone explained that there is still no time frame for when his top guard can return.
“This is an issue that was bothering him in the FIBA Asia [Cup] qualifiers,” the national team mentor said at the Araneta Coliseum, while also revealing that it can be traced even before their pair of wins last February.
“It happened a lot when we were at the Inspire camp. It happened a lot that he was having issues with his back [when] he sat through some practices.”
“He was having issues with his back, and would sit out most of the games. He fought his way through the games, and we tried to limit his minutes, hoping that it wouldn’t get too bad,” Cone continued.
Despite this, the two-time PBA finals MVP displayed his playmaking skills when they defeated Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei, with Thompson tallying nine assists over that span of contests.
However, Thompson, who is also known for his rebounding prowess, was only limited to 2.5 boards in those games.
Unfortunately, for Ginebra, his injuries have now affected his availability for the crowd darlings.
“It got worse, and now we’re paying for that here. He’s missing games with Ginebra,” coach Tim bared.
“So that’s kind of a sacrifice we made as a group, for the national team.”
Fortunately, for Ginebra, fellow guards Maverick Ahanmisi and Nards Pinto, as well as the returning Jamie Malonzo, stepped up to the plate against the Painters, who were looking to clinch their first win.
“In the meantime, Nards, Mav and, obviously, Jamie stepped up big time. I was really pleasantly surprised that we were able to do what we did tonight without Scottie,” Cone said.
Ginebra still has two games in its schedule before the league takes a break for the All-Star festivities and the Holy Week, meaning that they may still miss Thompson’s services when they go up against the Phoenix Fuel Masters and the Meralco Bolts. (ABS-CBN News)