Barangay Ginebra San Miguel might ring in the new year with Jamie Malonzo back in harness. The team has activated the high-flying swingman while putting Jeremiah Gray on the injured/reserve list. This means Malonzo can play in Ginebra’s crucial matchup with the San Miguel Beermen this Sunday.
Malonzo sustained a calf injury back in April during the eliminations of the Philippine Cup. He was initially ruled out for three to four weeks only, but surgery was soon required. This forced the Gilas Pilipinas member to miss the rest of the Philippine Cup and the entirety of Season 49’s PBA Governors’ Cup—or eight months and counting.
What Ginebra Gets Back with Malonzo’s Return
The obvious answer is that Ginebra gets back a 6-foot-7 wing who knows Tim Cone’s system and can play either 3 or 4. Considering the Barangay’s recent bad luck with injuries, that should be welcome news in of itself.
After that, everything is a big question mark—at least for Malonzo’s first few games.
But if Malonzo’s history with Ginebra is any indication, then the crowd darlings are getting back a high-flyer who can shoot the three, grab rebounds, excel in transition, and defend multiple positions. If Ginebra gets that Jamie Malonzo back, then it will be adding into the mix someone with career averages of 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 34.4% shooting from downtown.
Then again, that was a healthy Malonzo who had otherwise steered clear of any major injuries. This Malonzo Ginebra will be getting back has just come off his first serious injury, and no one knows for certain how long post-injury Malonzo can get back to that high-level pre-injury—or if he will even reach that level again.
Malonzo at His Best Is a Difference-Maker
This isn’t a knock on Malonzo in any way but an acknowledgment of the uncertainty of life after injury. But if he can return to his pre-injury form, whether right off the bat or down the line, then he might just be the final piece to Ginebra’s championship puzzle. That’s how good the former La Salle Green Archer is, and that’s why Ginebra has been missing him so much.
For all the uncertainty, getting Malonzo back on the court would still be a win for Ginebra. Getting him back to his high-flying, difference-making ways will be the next step.
