The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings will begin its campaign in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup without veteran center Japeth Aguilar, who is still recovering from hand surgery.
Head coach Tim Cone confirmed that Aguilar is expected to sit out at least the first few games of the season as he continues his rehabilitation.
“Japeth is going to be out probably for the first few games. We don’t know exactly when he’ll be back,” Cone said. “He’ll be out probably our first game, maybe our second, and we’ll play it game by game after that.”
The veteran big man underwent surgery on his left hand immediately after returning from Gilas Pilipinas’ 2025 FIBA Asia Cup campaign in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last August.
Cone explained that Aguilar had been dealing with lingering finger issues for more than a year and a half, playing through constant pain and swelling.
“He’s been playing with these bad fingers on his left hand. It’s very painful, always swelling after the game,” Cone shared.
“The day after he arrived from Saudi Arabia, he had his surgery done. It’s going alright, he’s doing well, but he’s not doing basketball activities yet. He can’t handle the ball yet,” he added.
Cone admitted that there was a tough decision on whether Aguilar should undergo surgery immediately after the last conference or defer it until after the Asia Cup. Ultimately, the team prioritized the national duty.
“There was a choice to do it right after the conference, and then he would be ready for the first game. Or go to Saudi Arabia for the Asia Cup and then do the surgery after that, knowing he’d miss the first couple of games,” Cone explained.
“We thought about it, but we just felt like the Asia Cup was too important. We kind of forced him to go to the Asia Cup rather than stay here and do his surgery,” he added.
Despite the short-term setback, Cone is optimistic that Aguilar’s operation will benefit both the player and the team moving forward.
“At least it’s something that’s going to be taken care of. We’re not going to have to worry about it anymore. We think it’ll help him in the long run,” Cone said.
With Aguilar out, Cone is expected to rely on his other bigs in Jeth Troy Rosario, Benedict Adamos, Norbert Torres, and Raymond Aguilar to fill the gap. (AC)
The post Japeth Aguilar to sit out early games of PBA Season 50 first appeared on Fastbreak.
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