JEREMIAH Gray has not been fully unleashed by Barangay Ginebra despite finally playing in his PBA debut Sunday night.
As per arrangement between him, coach Tim Cone, and Ginebra’s battery of trainers, the athletic Fil-Am guard will still be under minutes restriction until such a time he gets back to full fitness coming from an ACL Injury.
LOOK: Jeremiah Gray finally plays his first official PBA game
In as much as Cone wanted to give him a longer playing time in his first game against guest team Bay Area Dragons, a deal is a deal.
“We have a deal with the trainers that we can only play him for 12 minutes. Six minutes in the first half, and six minutes in the second half,” said Cone of the 6-foot-5 Gray.
“But he showed us a glimpse of what he can do,” added the Ginebra coach. “We just love the athleticism.”
Gray sweated it out for 10 minutes and scored five points and grabbed three rebounds.
The No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft said he was just ecstatic to be finally playing again almost a year since going down with an ACL injury while playing for TNT in the PBA 3x3.
“Felt great to be out there,” he said after the game. “I’m glad coach Tim trusted me to go out there right now.”
Gray said he’s aware about the minutes restriction arrangement, but is not one to complain.
“He’s just trying to see how my body feels, get me back used to the rhythm,” he added.
So far, so good.
“I think I’m making very good progress. I have good trainers around me, the Ginebra staff. And there are very supportive people in my life,” said Gray.
“I just have to mentally get back into the game, and just take it one day at a time and just keep getting one percent better every day.”
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