The mental part of recovery can be harder than the physical.
Much is expected from a second overall pick. That means much is expected from Jeremiah Gray, the second overall pick of the 2022 PBA Draft whom Barangay Ginebra San Miguel acquired via trade.
The 6-foot-5 Fil-Am has shown flashes of brilliance—including an impressive stretch in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup when Gray appeared to be among the league’s up-and-coming marksmen.
But Gray struggled mightily in the finals against the TNT Tropang Giga, and it has been all downhill since then. In fact, the 26-year-old’s struggles have bled well into the PBA On Tour, where he averaged a measly 6.3 points in Ginebra’s first three games while shooting a ghastly 1-for-18 from deep.
On Saturday, though, Gray seemed to have stopped the bleeding after chipping in 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists in Ginebra’s 101-95 loss to the NorthPort Batang Pier. It is only one game, but it just might work wonders for Gray, who is apparently still overthinking his surgically repaired left knee.
“Itong si Jeremiah Gray, although he’s been playing well in his past couple of games, he said he still second-guesses himself,” according to PBA courtside reporter Nadia Miravelles in the second quarter of the Ginebra-NorthPort telecast on Saturday in Batangas City. “Sabi niya, whenever he watches alone all their games, hindi man daw halata pero may mental struggle pa daw for him dahil sa kanyang ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury way back.”
Gray tore his left ACL in November 2021 while playing in the PBA 3x3 but made his debut for Ginebra 11 months later—a relatively fast turnaround for an ACL tear. Now, it appears Gray is not all the way back just yet, at least for the mental side of things.
“Instead of thinking about his shots, he worries about a lot of things,” Miravelles said. “What Jeremiah does to overcome his thoughts he does a lot of pool exercises. Ngayong PBA On Tour daw, he is taking his time to get over all his doubts and come out stronger the next PBA season.”
At least Gray has time, as Season 48 is set to tip off on October, giving the Ginebra guard four more months to overcome the mental hurdles holding him back.
Maybe then, the real Jeremiah Gray—athletic, high-flying, and aggressive—will be unleashed.
(GM)