In Jayson Castro's absence, Calvin Oftana is among the local TNT players expected to step up in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals against Ginebra.
While the absence of Jayson Castro is widely seen as a disadvantage for TNT, it is also an opportunity for the rest of the local crew to step up and take the leadership mantle in the upcoming PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals against Ginebra.
Among those expected to rise to the occasion is Calvin Oftana, who echoed everyone’s sentiment that it takes the entire team to fill up the void left by the injured TNT star.
“I think those guys, everyday ready naman sila sa gagampanan nila na role lalo na wala si kuya Jayson,” Oftana told One Sports on Monday during the press conference to launch the best-of-seven title series.
“It’s not just one man [who should] step up [to fill] the shoes of kuya Jayson. It should be all of us.”
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One simply cannot understate the value of Castro, who went down with a patellar tendon tear in Game 2 of the TNT's semifinals series against Rain or Shine.
At 38, Castro remains as the stabilizer of the Tropang Giga, someone the team can count on when the going gets tough.
That was none more evident in their Governors’ Cup conquest of Ginebra where he won the Finals Most Valuable Player award.
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Others, however, also see his absence as preview of TNT’s life after Castro. Whether or not the locals have what it takes to lead the team in the not-so-distant future could be determined this series.
But Oftana, a candidate for the Best Player of the Conference plum, doesn’t look that far ahead.
“I can’t say that way kasi gusto ko pa rin na nandyan si kuya Jayson eh. Siguro lahat naman ng fans na gusto pa makita si kuya Jayson sa full potenttial niya lalo nasa dulo na sya ng career niya,” Oftana said.
“Pero I’m hoping maka-recover sya uli at makasama ko pa sya (na mas matagal). Pero yun nga, it’s God na magde-decide kung makaka-recover siyang fully.”
The best-of-seven Finals will begin on Friday, March 14 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.