RONDAE Hollis-Jefferson returned to the PBA on Tuesday in time for TNT’s final push to the playoffs of the 50th Season Governors’ Cup.
Hollis-Jefferson collected 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals in the Tropang 5G’s 142-87 rout of Macau - his first game in 10 months after he sustained an Achilles tear during a guest stint with Meralco in the EASL.
RHJ got off to a slow start, missing his first few shots until he finally got into a groove after scoring on a dunk in the second quarter. He eventually finished 10-of-22 from the field in 22 minutes of action.
READ TNT welcomes back RHJ with 55-point romp over sorry Macau
“I’m still trying to get it,” RHJ said later. “That was a game for that, to kinda gauge myself, see where I was at. I’ve been training really hard.”
“It felt good to be back to play with my guys. They know I missed them. It’s been a long journey. I’m excited to be back,” Hollis-Jefferson added.
TNT coach Chot Reyes said they used the match against lowly Macau to ease the three-time Best Import back slowly and help him get his rhythm back approaching the final stretch of the conference.
“Ever since, ang plano talaga namin for the playoffs is si Rondae. Now, we found an opportunity to ease him slowly,” said Reyes.
Initially, Reyes said they wanted RHJ back during the first game of the resumption last October 7 against Terrafirma, but the three-time Best Import had to return to the US after the passing of his grandmother.
“Instead of playing him two games ago pa, he had to go home dahil namatay ‘yung kanyang grandmother. So na-delay siya ng one week. We were very fortunate to get a replacement like Nick (Hornsby) to give us those two wins and allowed us to play Rondae in, admittedly, a low risk game for us.
“We know na next kalaban namin Converge, ayaw naman namin ilaro si Rondae at si Poy (Erram) agad-agad, ganun na kalakas ‘yung kalaban. That’s why we decided to ease them in today’s game to prepare them for our last game which is Converge and more importantly, for the playoffs,” said Reyes.
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