Mikey Williams rocked his new hairdo in his first game back as TNT faced Meralco in an all-MVP affair in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Wednesday.
The reigning scoring king already flaunted his braided look on social media but the match versus the Bolts was the first time he rode with it in-game.
“Just trying something new,” he said. “I like it.”
Williams didn’t elaborate further on his new style but if anything, it’s a mark of a fresh start for him and the flagship MVP Group franchise.
The Meralco game was actually his first game back since being slapped with a one-week suspension by the ball club for disciplinary reasons.
He missed practices without prior notice, prompting the TNT top brass to hand down the punishment where he was suspended without pay.
Being away was tough, the 31-year-old bared.
“It felt like I was back at home. Four workouts a day, trying to stay active, stay ready, just preparing as much as I can, just tryna stay in shape.
“It’s the same, but I felt like it was just tougher mentally because I was doing it by myself, not with my teammates,” Williams reflected.
All’s well that ends well, as the adage goes, and that’s exactly what happened as the Fil-Am cager made amends with his teammates via lunch-out.
Williams is just glad to leave it all in the past now.
“Definitely a sigh of relief,” said the fourth overall selection of the 2021 PBA Rookie Draft. “Just move forward, and continue to be better.”
Williams, however, didn’t get the welcome he wanted in his return. The Tropang Giga bowed to the Bolts, 97-91, after leading by as many as 11 early.
Chot Reyes’ wards dropped to 4-5 and the star guard could only lament what has been an up-and-down campaign for the perennial contenders.
“It feels like it’s clicking sometimes, sometimes it feels like it’s not,” he said. “We’re out just tryna find that rhythm that we’re used to having. That flow, that identity that we’ve had for the last couple of seasons … It stems from a lot of things. We’re not getting it done.
“Maybe that’s us not trying to make the extra plays to secure that win.”
The Tropa now heads into their last three games and for Williams, that stretch will either make or break the squad hoping to get to the next round.
“We got an even tough stretch, this next three, we need all three,” he said as they will take on Barangay Ginebra, Bay Area, and San Miguel.
“It all comes down to what we’re made of, these three games will decide what we’re made of. Hopefully, we pull ’em out,” Williams added.
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The second game of each PBA gameday is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
