MANILA, Philippines – A rare loss to Terrafirma has only emphasized how badly Barangay Ginebra misses star guard Scottie Thompson.

Thompson remains sidelined with a back injury. The Gin Kings lost to the Dyip for just the second time in PBA history following a surprising 91-85 defeat in the Philippine Cup on Sunday, April 7.

It has been a rollercoaster start for Ginebra in the All-Filipino tiff without the former league MVP, who has not played since the conference began in February.

The Gin Kings won three of their first four games before they suffered back-to-back losses as they slipped to a 3-3 record.

“When Scottie’s out, you don’t just make up for points – you make up for points, you make up for rebounds, you make up for assists, you make up for defense,” said Ginebra assistant coach Richard del Rosario.

“Scottie’s a special player and he gives a lot to the team. So we need contributions from everyone and we don’t put that pressure on one particular guy. We have to figure it out as a team how to work around Scottie’s absence.”

Thompson averaged 11.1 points, 7.3 assists, and 6.6 rebounds in the last Commissioner’s Cup.

He then scored 3.5 points, 9 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1 block as Gilas Pilipinas crushed Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei to sweep the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in February before he was sidelined.

That is the kind of production and versatility the Gin Kings have been missing as they slumped to their worst six-game start since the 2021 Governors’ Cup, where they also lost half of their first six matches.

Del Rosario, though, said Ginebra should have already adjusted to life without Thompson going into the second half of the elimination round.

“We can’t use that as an excuse. We’re waiting for him to get healthy. We don’t want to rush him. He’s very important. He’s career is very important,” said Del Rosario.

“He’ll play when he’s ready.” – Rappler.com