Jamie Malonzo is likely out for the PBA season.
The Barangay Ginebra winger will miss action for six to eight weeks as the prognosis says that he tore his left calf, according to head coach Tim Cone.
“Initial prognosis is calf tear, 6-8 weeks before he can return to the lineup,” the champion mentor wrote in a brief message to Tiebreaker Times, Wednesday.
It should be good news for the Kings after initially suspecting that Malonzo might have suffered an Achilles injury when he fell in the final seconds of their 95-88 win over NorthPort last April 14.
His left leg gave way with only 5.3 seconds remaining in the game when he tried to take off for a dunk to end the contest. The team rushed to his aid before carrying the 27-year-old on the way to the locker room.
Jamie Malonzo leaves Ninoy Aquino Stadium hobbling š#PBA2024
š„ @JustineBacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/MQcbXuS1OF
ā Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 14, 2024
Still, it’s a major blow for a Ginebra side that’s just getting its rhythm in the all-Filipino conference.
It doesn’t have much depth on the wing position, with Jeremiah Gray still treading the road to recovery.
The Barangay’s win over the Batang Pier was their second straight, their first back-to-back wins since starting the season-ending tilt with two consecutive wins against Rain or Shine and Phoenix, respectively.
Now the perennial contenders will try to keep their winning ways without Malonzo beginning against TNT on April 19 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Malonzo had been averaging 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in the ongoing tilt, where Ginebra is presently carrying a 5-3 record.
