CHRISTIAN Standhardinger has not been practicing of late with Barangay Ginebra due to a lingering injury.
Veteran guard LA Tenorio disclosed the development on Friday night, blaming an old injury from which the 6-foot-8 Fil-German has yet to fully recover.
“For now he’s still injured,” said the 36-year-old Tenorio in the nightly program The Game. “He’s still recovering from an injury. So we want to make sure that before the opening he’s 100 percent already.
“That’s why we’re not forcing him to practice right away.”
Tenorio though didn't mention the injury that has been bothering Standhardinger, who the Kings acquired in a blockbuster trade with NorthPort in exchange for Greg Slaughter.
Good thing, Standhardinger’s stint with the Gilas Pilipinas men’s team under coach Tim Cone in 2019 somehow helped him get familiar with the system being run by the defending PBA Philippine Cup champions.
“But knowing Christian, I see him as a smart player. He knows the game. And naging teammate na namin siya sa SEA Games. So basically he knows a little bit about coach Tim Cone’s system,” added Tenorio.
“Hopefully makabalik na siya soon para ma-integrate na namin yung kailangan niyang malaman sa team, yung system, and the chemistry that we have to build.”
The Kings are currently doing their scrimmages in Lipa, Batangas as they await the opening of the league’s 46th season, which hopefully kicks off by the middle of July.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph