CHRIS Newsome isn’t the only player for Meralco bothered by injury.
Bolts point guard Chris Banchero hasn’t played for the past two games after suffering a sprained ankle, one of the contributing factors to the team's current slump in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
“He says it’s still bothering him. I respect that,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “I just have to go to the next guy.”
[READ: Newsome out for two more weeks]
The Bolts currently own a 1-4 card, suffering back-to-back defeats on Wednesday when they were beaten by Phoenix Super LPG, 89-82. A lot of the losses have something to do with the absence of Newsome and Banchero.
Newsome is currently recuperating from a calf injury that he sustained during Meralco’s first game of the conference against NorthPort, and could be out for two more weeks.
Unfortunately for the Bolts, Banchero has also missed games after an ankle sprain in practice.
“It’s difficult because we already lost Chris Newsome and then he (Banchero) would be on, if not the same level, almost the same level as Chris Newsome as far as ability goes. It hurts for him not to be around particularly at this time. But what can I do.”
“He sprained his ankle in practice. That was over a week ago. Still bothering him at this point,” said Black.
Before going down with a sprain, Banchero normed 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists for Meralco in three games.
Black said they are being patient with the recovery of Banchero, but seeing him play will definitely be a boost for the team’s bid for a quarterfinal spot which hangs in the balance at the moment.
“I never ever forced a player to play if he thought he couldn’t go. Players know better and they know how serious their injuries are. They know when they can’t push off or when they can’t plant without pain. We just have to wait for it to heal and get back on the court,” said Black.
“Hopefully, the sooner, the better,” he added.
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