TNT did not need to look far to add another PG to its depleted backcourt.
On Tuesday, the Grand Slam seekers welcomed Simon Enciso back to the fold as they picked up the 34-year-old gunner from the free agent market.
“My expectation is just trying to add to their championship culture,” he said. “Just coming in ready to work hard and help the team win.”
The reunion couldn’t have come at a better time for the two, with the Tropang 5G keen on bolstering a backcourt as it continues to miss Jayson Castro.
Team manager Jojo Lastimosa himself revealed the plan shortly after TNT won the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup title by beating Ginebra in six.
That gave the franchise its second straight title this season, thus sparking talks of a rare treble — and the cage legend himself admitted that he wants it, too.
But among the steps he had to take being their team manager was to make sure they could fill in the gap left by Castro and give Rey Nambatac more support.
Eventually, they’d find Enciso available, and both camps would come together — with the hope, of course, that it would lead to success this time.
The Fil-Am guard was traded by Alaska to TNT back in 2020 and would help them reach the Philippine Cup Finals in the Clark bubble.
However, they lost to the Kings in five, and he’d never have the chance to return to the Big Dance with them as he was traded to Blackwater in 2021.
But as fate would have it, Enciso is now with the Tropa again after becoming an unrestricted free agent last month as he was not renewed by San Miguel.
He was traded by Terrafirma to the Beermen back in 2021 as well and he’d go on to win his first PBA title when they beat TNT in the 2022 Philippine Cup.
He’s won two championships with SMB and was hoping for another until the traditional powerhouse no longer opted to extend his contract.
But now, he has a chance to strike gold with an old team, which if they do this Philippine Cup would lead to a feat that hasn’t been done since 2014.
TNT will open its Grand Slam bid against NLEX on April 23 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
