Barangay Ginebra San Miguel small forward Jamie Malonzo won’t be suiting up anytime soon and is expected to miss the early part of the next Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) season.
Gin Kings head coach Tim Cone bared that the winger still has a long way to go before getting back in tip-top shape after going under the knife due to a left calf injury.
“He won’t be available yet next season. In the beginning, at least. He’s gonna be out for another maybe five or six months,” Cone told Daily Tribune.
Malonzo made his first public appearance last 29 May after his surgery three weeks prior when Ginebra was forced into a Game 7 by eventual finalist Meralco in their semifinals series.
When asked about his recovery last month, the 27-year-old, wearing a protective boot, was optimistic about his return just in time for the PBA Season 49 opening tournament Governors’ Cup in August.
However, Malonzo’s comeback could move a couple more months back.
“He still has a long road back to getting back to playing and being ready to play,” Cone said.
Malonzo sustained his injury after he slipped while trying to attack the basket in the waning seconds of the Gin Kings’ Philippine Cup elimination round win over Northport last 14 April.
Ginebra picked Dave Murrell off the waivers to fill the void left by Malonzo.
The high-flying Malonzo was scratched off the Gilas Pilipinas lineup set to compete in Riga, Latvia for a Paris Olympics ticket next month. He could suit up for Gilas in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in November when the Philippines hosts the second window against Hong Kong and New Zealand.
Despite the drawback, Cone is looking forward to the return of Filipino-American Jeremiah Gray from a knee injury he sustained in June last year.