Luis Villegas has been ruled out of the PBA Season 49 as the young Rain or Shine big man is set to undergo knee reconstruction surgery.
Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao disclosed that it was the doctors’ suggestion in a bid to get rid of the recurring pains for the long term.
“The suggestion of the doctor was to reconstruct,” he said moments after their 107-93 victory over San Miguel for back-to-back wins in the Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday night at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
“Parang may surgery ulit siya, so titingnan kung paano mapapabuti pa for the long-term,” the champion bench tactician furthered.
That explains why Villegas, their third overall pick in the 2023 Rookie Draft, hasn’t suited up since last playing for Rain or Shine in the Season 48 Philippine Cup semifinals, where they eventually lost to the Beermen in five games.
The 27-year-old from University of the East sat out his rookie season to recover from an ACL injury he suffered in practice during a stint with Gilas Pilipinas 3×3, and only made his league debut during the last all-Filipino wars.
He was supposed to make his first appearance at an earlier date but a foot injury he sustained during an Elasto Painters practice spoiled the plan.
Now, he’s about to miss the rest of the ongoing season, without a doubt a tough development most especially for the coaching staff as they’ve been looking forward to seeing a healthy Villegas blend with this youthful, fast-paced roster.
“Si Luis naman, nakapaglaro na siya last conference pero problematic pa rin ‘yung injury niya, hindi siya makapagtodo ng 100-percent,” Guiao said.
“Kasi ang nangyayari, makakalaro siya tapos hindi na naman makakalaro. So, parang for the long-term, that’s the option,” he added.
But just like what they’ve done last season, Guiao and the ball club are choosing to stay patient as they still believe in the potential of Villegas.
“Kaya nag-decide na kami na we will invest in time,” the 65-year-old said. “Magtiyatiyaga kami, kasi nakikita namin may potensyal talaga si Luis. So, tiyaga na naman, hintay na naman after ng reconstruction ng tuhod.”
