KEITH Datu will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee.
Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao confirmed the unfortunate news following an MRI, confirming that Datu will be out for a year to recover.
Datu sustained the injury in the third quarter of Elasto Painters' win over Phoenix on Wednesday.
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The development is a big blow to RoS frontcourt that is already shorthanded and undersized.
Datu has been producing for Rain or Shine during the conference, including a 20-point, eight-rebound output against Blackwater in the team’s second game of the all-Filipino.
In what became his last full game of the season, the No. 4 pick in the Season 48 Draft in 2023 churned six rebounds and two blocks in the Elasto Painters' one-point win over Titan Ultra.
Beau Belga will be left to carry the load once again in the frontcourt position for RoS, with Luis Villegas showing no signs of a return in the next couple of games.
Rain or Shine is already dealing with injuries to Stanley Pringle (knee sprain) and Caelan Tiongson (hamstring) before Datu’s diagnosis.
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