It was only a matter of time before Jared Dillinger returned to his old Daredevil form.
The Filipino-American gunner has returned in the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup after being on the sidelines for almost three months due to a hamstring injury. But Dillinger admitted that getting his game back will be a process.
“It will take some time to get my legs, my rhythm back. It’s gonna take some time to get it together,” the 32-year-old claimed last January.
But Sunday evening in the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup, Dillinger looked to have regained his stroke, displaying his old Daredevil form to power the Meralco Bolts over NLEX Road Warriors 91-84 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
In their second win in a row, Dillinger — who only finished with eight markers in their first game against Mahindra — led the Bolts with 20 points spiked by four triples along with four boards, three dimes, and two steals in 29 minutes.
Sunday night marks Dillinger’s best outing yet since his return from injury, and the Bolts could not be more satisfied with his return now that they have regained one of the best weapons in their artillery.
“I’m happy I’m back,” said Dillinger moments after their victory.
“I’m happy that I’m healthy. That’s the most important thing for me.”
But for the second overall pick of the 2008 Draft, it was their victory that stood out the most for him, not just his own notable performance.
“More importantly, we won,” said Dillinger.
“Tonight, the ball was being swung my way, and I was able to hit shots tonight. It’s just how simple the game is.
“Anyone on our team is capable of scoring, just tonight, the team trusted me. The ball was coming through me tonight, and I’m just confident hitting shots tonight,” the University of Hawaii product quipped.
The Bolts are now off to a good start in the import-laden conference, but Dillinger insists that the Commissioner’s Cup will still be a long road to tread on.
“We got a long way to go,” Dillinger pointed out.
