ANTIPOLO – Rey Nambatac is hoping to reduce his time on the sidelines now that he’s treading the road to recovery after suffering a groin injury.
The TNT playmaker is set to miss four to six weeks thanks to a partial tear he sustained during their 101-84 victory over Meralco last May 11. Still, he’s keeping his fingers crossed that he won’t need to sit out very long.
“So far, malaking progress itong aking groin injury. Parang naka-10 days na ata akong nasa recovery, nagre-rehab na,” he told reporters shortly after their 111-103 win over Rain or Shine on Wednesday night at the Ynares Center here.
“Hopefully ‘yung sinasabi ng PT na four to six weeks, ma-lessen. Kasi para rin ‘yung conditioning, ‘yung timing, ‘yung rhythm, ‘di rin mawala.”
Nambatac explained that a quicker return is possible, although it would depend on how he responds to workouts once he gets clearance.
“Yes pwede siya ma-lessen depende sa workout namin,” he said. “Pero hopefully after two weeks or three weeks, magta-try kami ng movement. Kasi doon talaga masakit eh, ‘pag may movement. May pain talaga.”
He’s currently undergoing rehab — the only thing he’s allowed to do for now — before attending another checkup to monitor his injured groin.
“Bawal physical activities. Ang ginagawa lang namin, more on rehab lang talaga,” said Nambatac, who had 13 points against the Bolts.
“And then after that, checkup ulit kung kumusta na ‘yung partial tear. Then doon na magkakaroon ng physical activities — workout, strengthening, weights.”
However, he’s ruling out any comeback during the ongoing elimination round, with his return set possibly during the playoffs should the Tropang 5G make it.
“Most likely playoffs na raw ako makakalaro,” the 31-year-old said. “Itong elimination kasi parang hindi na raw kaya, or ‘wag na raw ipilit.”
Nambatac’s injury comes at the worst time possible for TNT as it happened amid its three-game winning streak after an 0-3 start in the tilt.
And he himself can’t deny his disappointment, given that he was already getting back to the usual ‘Sting Rey.’
“As a player, hindi naman talaga made-determine kung kailan ka ma-iinjury o hindi. Pero nakaka-disappoint lang din sa part ko,” he said.
“Dahil nakuha mo na ‘yung rhythm eh — andun na ‘ko sana eh, nakabalik na ako sa timing kaso all of a sudden, biglang na-injury.”
Nambatac believes that it could be a case of wear-and-tear given that the Tropa hardly had time to recover after their 2024-25 Commissioner’s Cup conquest.
“Isa rin sa tinitingnan namin is wala kami masyadong recovery,” he opined. “Kasi after championship, parang 10 days lang ata ‘yung break namin.
“After that, nag-practice na ulit kami. Compared to the other teams na talagang one-month preparation sila, kami kasi parang 10 days lang ata, 15, ta’s sabak na ulit. Kaya siguro may mga ganitong injuries na nangyayari.”
But if there’s any silver lining to this setback, it’s the fact that he only suffered a partial tear on his groin and nothing major.
“Talagang ‘di ko ‘to inexpect eh. Bigla lang din eh, nung kalaban Meralco. Pero buti na lang partial tear lang siya, hindi siya ganun kalala,” he said.
#WATCH: Despite battling a groin injury, Rey Nambatac stays hopeful for a TNT comeback in the #PBA2025 Philippine Cup playoffs 🏀
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/IQEtEdtoqS
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) May 21, 2025
