Jeremiah Gray made his comeback for the Ginebra Gin Kings after suffering an ACL injury, while Jamie Malonzo is working to get back at full strength.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone was glad to see Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray sharing the floor again in the PBA.
Gray returned to the court for the Gin Kings in Game 2 of their Commissioner's Cup semifinal match against NorthPort Friday, Feb. 28 — a year and seven months after he sustained an ACL injury in Ginebra’s last game in the PBA On Tour.
Malonzo, meanwhile, is slowly getting into tip-top form since his own comeback in January following a calf injury that sidelined him for nine months.
"I think of those two, I think of all the hard work it took to get back to where they are,” Cone said after the Gin Kings won, 119-106, for a 2-0 edge in the series.
“We’re all very happy that they were able to play on the floor and contribute.”
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Gray entered the match at the 6:55 mark of the second quarter with Ginebra enjoying an early 24-point lead, 51-27.
Forty-two seconds later, he hit his first basket: a triple.
He finished with six points, two rebounds and a steal in more than nine minutes on the floor.
“It was especially nice to see Miah tonight get out and get some minutes, hit a three-point shot, get a couple of free throws and just really be out there. That’s really the key,” said Cone.
Malonzo, for his part, was impressive for the second straight game in the series. In Game 2, he backstopped topscorer Japeth Aguilar with his 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting he spiked with three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.
He hit six of his nine attempts from the field for 14 points while also collecting five rebounds, two assists and one block in the series opener which Ginebra won, 115-93.
Jamie Malonzo posts an average of 15.5 points in the first two games of the Ginebra Gin Kings' best-of-seven semifinal joust with the NorthPort Batang Pier. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
But Cone insisted that the athletic forward could still soar higher.
“I know he’s playing better, but I think Jamie has leaps and bounds still to go. I think he can still do so much more," Cone said.
"We’re going to continue to expect more from him. But, right now, he’s coming off the bench and giving us a huge lift both offensively and defensively."
The veteran mentor said that Malonzo is not yet at his hundred percent best.
“He’s playing well, but we have to remember how well he was playing before he got injured. So he still has ways to go before he’s back at full 100 percent," he said.
“I’d say he’s about 85 percent right now, not quite a hundred percent. But the more he plays, it seems the better he just gets because he has more confidence and just has a better feel for the game and his teammates.”
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Cone sees the duo as cornerstones of the future Gin Kings dynasty that will dominate the league in the years to come.
“They’re both very talented guys. We got them to be the players we build around a few years ago. And we've been missing them all this time,” said Cone.
If Gray and Malonzo continue to get better and healthier, Cone could be parading a potent All-Filipino lineup going forward.
But for now, Cone and the Gin Kings will keep their focus on claiming win No. 3 in the best-of-seven series against the Batang Pier.
Match is set on Sunday, March 2, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.