BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone said Aljon Mariano could play in Game One, but on whether he is capable of giving a significant contribution to the team in the PBA Governors’ Cup finals remains to be seen.
Ginebra injury update
Cone said Mariano is “physically ready” for the finals even following a lengthy break as he recovered from surgery to remove bone spurs on his foot.
“We were hoping that Aljon will be ready for Game One. Ready is the term that we don’t really know,” said Cone on Monday during the pre-finals press conference at Novotel.
“He is going to be physically ready but is he going to have rhythm? We don’t know exactly how much he can contribute. Physically, he is raring to go in Game One. We will figure out where his minutes fit as we go along,” said Cone.
The Gin Kings have been dealing with injuries with several key players including Mariano, who had a vital role in the team’s championship run during the Philippine Cup in 2020 at the Clark bubble.
Mariano hasn’t played since Ginebra was ousted by TNT in the recent Philippine Cup in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Cone said Japeth Aguilar’s situation remains the same after he is sidelined with a calf injury.
“Japeth is basically, honestly day-to-day. Calf injury is very delicate. You don’t want to rush him back because it could get worst and knock him out for not only this conference but maybe in the next conference or longer.”
“We have to be careful with him and make sure that he is very near 100 percent before we can bring him back on the court,” said Cone.
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