The TNT Tropang 5G are not in a rush to put prized acquisition Jordan Heading back into active duty—at least not yet.
When you’re on a six-game winning run ang playing some great basketball, you can afford to play the waiting game, and that’s exactly what the Grand Slam-seeking Tropa are doing with Heading.
Heading, acquired by TNT from the Converge FiberXers for the rights to Mikey Williams, last played in an official game on February—a do-or-die Game 3 between Converge and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. The sweet-shooting lefty struggled in that win-or-go home match, scoring just 6 points on 1-for-8 shooting as the Elasto Painters stunned Converge to reach the PBA Governors’ Cup semis, ironically against these same Tropa.
It turns out, the former no. 1 pick was suffering from back spasms that game, which likely was the reason for his lackluster play. It was, in fact, his worst game in his so far brief stint in the PBA, and he hasn’t played ever since due to that same injured back.
No Rush to Have Jordan Heading Back
As far as TNT coach Chot Reyes is concerned, he doesn’t mind extending Heading’s hiatus for a few more days as he continues to recover from his injury. The Tropa, meanwhile, will just hold the fort until their new gunner is healthy enough for live hoops.
“He’s really a day-to-day because number one, he still has that back injury that he’s still trying to recover from. Number two, he’s been inactive for a long time. Hindi ganun kadali ‘yun, but he’s been able to join a little bit in our practice [though] not yet okay with full contact,” Reyes told the press in the aftermath of TNT’s 108-82 shellacking of the Blackwater Bossing on Wednesday. “But we’re not rushing him. Our mentality is we play our last two games with who we have. If Jordan can join us, that’s great. If not, we’re gonna figure out a way…”
That being said, the wait might be well worth it for TNT. A healthy Heading is for sure a game-changer, having posted per-game averages of 17.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in his lone conference in the PBA. And with Reyes implementing a free-flowing dribble-drive offense, Heading would likely fit in seamlessly as one of the league’s premier playmakers.
But that will all have to wait in the interim. Once he does, it might be bad news for the rest of the league.
