TNT management decided it was best for Jayson Castro to sit out its 2020 PBA Philippine Cup match versus Blackwater Elite, Thursday.
Tropang Giga head coach Bong Ravena said that the team did not want to take any chances on their star guard, who felt tightness in his right calf.
Castro was actually in uniform and even joined the team warm-ups until he told the team about his calf — thus TNT’s decision to just let him rest.
“Tight kasi ‘yung right calf niya eh. Nararamdaman niya before when we were warming up. Hindi namin pwedeng i-risk eh,” Ravena said.
The seasoned mentor said that TNT does not want to repeat what happened with Roger Pogoy, who played versus Phoenix last Monday even with an ankle injury.
The gunslinging guard was a game-time decision for that match but felt good about his ankle and played on. He even ended up with 30 points.
“It happened to us before with Roger na naglaro pa. But itong kay Jayson, ayaw na namin mangyari ulit,” Ravena said.
This is all part of TNT’s efforts to manage its players the best it can, given the tight schedule of the games inside the bubble at Clark.
And for Ravena, the 12-year veteran sitting out is part of their preparation for the tough stretch next week, where they will play three games in six days.
“We’d rather let him rest because next week we have three straight games eh, [almost] every other day. So we really need to prepare,” he said.
TNT hardly felt Castro’s absence thanks to Simon Enciso, though. The Tropang GIGA won, 109-96, for its fifth win in as many games.
“Jayson did not play tonight, [pero] nandoon pa rin si Simon so it complements us really big,” said Ravena.
