SIMON Enciso is in for the long haul for TNT and not just a stop-gap measure to address a backcourt void as it guns for a season-ending PBA grand slam.
Team manager Jojo Lastimosa said the 34-year-old veteran was signed to a two-year deal by the Tropang 5G on Tuesday after being picked up as an unrestricted free agent.
READ Enciso returns to TNT as an unrestricted free agent
Tapping Enciso obviously is in response to the season-ending knee injury suffered by long-time leader Jayson Castro.
Enciso is expected to alternate in the TNT backcourt with Commissioner’s Cup Finals MVP Rey Nambatac, along with Brian Heruela and rookie Jielo Razon.
“He’s the best guard available that fills our need,” said Lastimosa in a text message to SPIN.ph after management announced Enciso’s acquisition.
“We have to start with the point because that’s our obvious need.”
But at the same time, it’s also a major move by the organization to bolster its grand slam bid after winning the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup championships.
Talks of a season treble began to swirl the moment TNT beat Barangay Ginebra in a classic Game 7 that went into overtime for the mid-season championship.
It’s the closest the franchise would get to a grand slam since the 2011 season when TNT also claimed the first two conference championships, only to be denied of the glorious feat by San Miguel (then carrying the Petron Blaze banner) in Game 7 of the Governors’ Cup Finals.
Enciso coming on board is perhaps just the initial step towards finally realizing what eluded the team 14 seasons ago.
“With the absence of Jayson, we need an extra point guard,” was all coach Chot Reyes could say.
Enciso’s championship experience is definitely a plus, having been part of the two San Miguel champion teams in the 2022 Philippine Cup – at the expense of TNT – and the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup.
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