RAIN or Shine rookie guard Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti is out for the rest of the season after fracturing his left hand.
Coach Yeng Guiao confirmed the bad news on Tuesday on the eve of the Elasto Painters’ PBA Philippine Cup game against the Terrafirma Dyip.
“Kahapon sa practice. Fractured yung left hand niya,” the Rain or Shine coach disclosed to SPIN.ph. “Six weeks so malamang out for the conference na yun."
READ ROS vows no let-up when it faces 'dangerous' Terrafirma
Lemetti is the latest Rain or Shine player to be sidelined due to injury after veteran big man Beau Belga (vertigo).
As per Guiao, Lemetti was going for a rebound when his left hand accidentally hit a part of Shaun Ildefonso's body.
"Inangat niya yung kamay niya kukunin niya yung bola, magkasabay sila ni Shaun, so tumama yung kamay niya sa isang parte ni Shaun," recalled the Rain or Shine coach of how the Fil-Swedish rookie fractured his hand.
"Si Shaun kasi kahit anong parte ng katawan bato-bato, e," added Guiao of the muscular guard and son of two-time league MVP Danny Ildefonso.
The fractured hand is currently in a cast, although there's no need to have it operated at the moment unlike the case of another Rain or Shine guard Gian Mamuyac.
"Meron siyang (Lemetti) dalawang break, yung kay Mamu isang break lang. Yun ang inoperahan," said Guaio.
"Pero dahil mas structurally ang break niya, may possibility na hindi na operahan. I-split na lang and pababayaan na lang na mag-heal in place."
But if it doesn't heal well, the hand will have to be operated on.
"Pero sabi naman ng doktor mamo-monitor ng husto kung every week nila tinitingnan," said Guiao.
The injury couldn't have come at the most inopportune time for Lemetti, selected No. 8 overall by the Elasto Painters in the last draft.
"Ang laking effect niyan (sa team), kasi if you noticed I was already preparing him to play additional major minutes kasi dinadagdagan ko na yung playing time niya, pinapa-finish ko na siya ng mga laro, and he's working hard in practice," Guiao said.
"And I thought he could be a key contributor sa playoff run namin kung sakali. Pero nangyayari yan talaga."
Lemetti incidentally, leads Rain or Shine in free throw shooting with a high 91.3 percent (21-of-23) this conference and ranked second overall in the league behind RK Ilagan of Blackwater (95 percent).
He's also tied as the top assist man for the Elasto Painters with Andrei Caracut, who both averaged 3.71 per game to rank 11th and 12th in the conference.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
