Reyes issues Castro challenge

Veteran TNT guard Jayson Castro braces for another showdown with younger counterparts in Rain or Shine in the best-of-seven Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup semifinals firing off later this month.

Castro seeks to bounce back from a terrible outing against the Elasto Painters at the close of the elimination round.

The 38-year-old court general was limited to three points despite more than 21 minutes of action in the Tropang Giga’s 96-106 defeat last 31 January.

After getting outworked by the likes of Anton Asistio and Adrian Nocum, the 2024 Governor’s Cup Finals Most Valuable Player is pumped up to get another crack against Rain or Shine starting 26 February at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“I’m just eager to win and at the same time contribute to the team. That gives me motivation,” Castro said.

“We want to go back to the finals.”

Leading by example, Castro dropped 16 points, three boards and three assists in the second-seeded TNT’s 108-93 booting out of guest team Hong Kong Eastern in the quarterfinals.

His inspired performance came days after hearing an earful from head coach Chot Reyes following the Tropang Giga’s loss to the then desperate to secure an outright playoffs seat Elasto Painters.

“I just want to comment what kind of veteran, what kind of leader Jayson is, he really heard a lot from me in our last game (against Rain or Shine). It was a bad game. In front of the team, I said that kind of effort, that kind of defense was not acceptable,” Reyes shared.

Castro responded with a vintage performance that propelled TNT into the next round for a collision course with Rain or Shine.

“Jayson is the perfect example of the ability and the willingness to accept feedbacks and use it to their advantage,” Reyes added.

Castro acknowledges that expectations are high for him being the leader of the franchise that selected him third overall pick in the 2008 Draft.