Scottie Thompson is glad to be regaining his old form as evidenced by a triple-double showing in Ginebra’s vengeful win over Blackwater on Tuesday night.
The 2022 PBA MVP finished with team-highs of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in the Kings’ 112-98 victory that served as a sweet payback after surprisingly being on the losing end back in their first encounter last August 30.
“Slowly getting back,” he said shortly after the win at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. “‘Yun lang ‘yung gusto ko this conference, ‘yung maging healthy.”
Thompson was far from the usual during the early goings of the Season 49 Governors’ Cup as he had just recovered from a nagging injury back then.
It’s the reason why he missed not just some games of the Barangay last season, but also Gilas’ FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament run in Latvia.
But the 31-year-old has been religiously doing his part to make sure that he’d be in game shape and proof of which, definitely, was Tuesday night, where he led his side to its third consecutive win of the import-laced conference.
“Yung performance ko, I know darating ‘yun. But the key for me right now is to be healthy throughout the conference,” Thompson said.
“Kasi, sabi nga ni Coach Tim, medyo inaalalayan pa ‘ko sa practice. But I’ve been working hard para makabalik talaga in full condition ‘yung shape ko.”
Such an outing, though, wasn’t solely about getting back to his old ways. It’s also his way of leading by example, especially to the new guys, who actually delivered in the triumph that hiked their win-loss card to 4-2.
RJ Abarrientos, for one, finished with 15 points. Last season’s Rookie of the Year in Stephen Holt, on the other hand, had a 14-7-5 line,
“Looking at the bigger picture, ‘yung role ko sa team, especially ngayon, isa ako sa mga veterans, kailangan ko maging role model sa mga bago na gawin ‘yung pinapagawa sa amin ni Coach sa practice para sundan din nila kami,” he said.
“I think ‘yun ‘yung key sa amin, para mag-buy in din ‘yung mga bago namin. So far, andun na ‘yung nakaka-kapa na sila sa system na pinapagawa sa amin. Sana magtuloy-tuloy,” added the nine-year pro.
