Lastimosa earns Victolero’s respect

Magnolia rookie Jerom Lastimosa finally debuted in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) after recovering from a knee injury that had him sidelined for 17 months.

Although the Adamson University product felt far from satisfied with his pro start, Hotshots mentor Chito Victolero was pleased with the potential he saw in Lastimosa in the team’s 118-100 opening-day victory over Blackwater in the Commissioner’s Cup Thursday night at the Ninoy Aguino Stadium.

“He’s worth the wait,” Victolero said of the ninth overall pick in the 2024 Draft.

Lastimosa finished with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field with four assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in almost 25 minutes of play off the bench.

“That’s our investment, even though, he didn’t get to play in the first conference (Governors’ Cup). But he’s ready. And, I think we now have a deep rotation on our guard spot,” Victolero added.

“For his first game, it’s a thumbs up.”

The 26-year-old guard, however, felt that months of being away from competition had him all rusty.

“I feel like I’m still far from my competitive form. I’ll still have to work harder on my conditioning for our next game,” Lastimosa said.

The Gilas Pilipinas added that he has yet to fully adjust to his return especially now that he’s playing in the PBA.

“Of course, I’m still adjusting after not playing basketball in 17 months. This was my first game,” he said.

Lastimosa also disclosed that it has only been less than a month since he started training with Magnolia.

“I’m still adjusting to the system, my teammates and how I would fit into the system of coach Chito,” the Dumaguete native said. M. Escarlote

Still, Victolero expressed high hopes for what Lastimosa could bring to the table for the Hotshots.

“I think there’s a lot of upside with Jerom. Hopefully in the next few games, he’ll be able to settle down and show his real game,” the mentor said.

Magnolia battles Converge on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. M. Escarlote