RONDAE Hollis-Jefferson might be back in action for TNT much sooner than expected.
The high-scoring import has been sidelined for months after tearing his Achilles tendon while playing for Meralco in the EASL tournament last December. Achilles injuries usually take 10 months to one year to heal and is one of the most devastating for a player to suffer.
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After five months, RHJ said he is doing fine and his rehabilitation is progressing much ahead of time. In a video interview posted by TNT’s social media pages, RHJ said it is possible that he will be strong enough by October to do heavy workout prior to actually playing about two months later.
By then, it is expected that the Governors’ Cup will still be ongoing as the tournament will be suspended due to Gilas Pilipinas’ participation in Window 4 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers and the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
“Around this five-month mark is where things start to ramp up on-the-court work, pool workouts, a lot of strengthening in the calf muscle and all those muscles that lost a lot of strength while I was not able to use it,” Hollis-Jefferson said.
“Depending on how the muscle strengthens and recovers, how long I’ll be out, I can’t give you an exact date but we are looking at somewhere between September and October,” RHJ also said.
It is in the Governors’ Cup where Hollis-Jefferson won two of his three titles in the PBA including his first one during the 2023 conference.
TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa said RHJ’s comeback will depend on the state of his physical conditioning during that September-October time frame.
“We will have to see how he is once he gets here in August but we are hoping he will make it in time,” said Lastimosa.
For now, TNT has Darius Days as import for the Governors’ Cup that will open on July 10. - Reuben Terrado
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