By REYNALD MAGALLON
Scottie Thompson seemed to be on his way back to Gilas Pilipinas.
Sidelined by the metacarpal fracture on his shooting hand since July, Thompson is now able to do some shooting drills alone as shared by his loving wife, Jinky, in a Facebook reel posted on Saturday night, Aug. 12.
The Gilas starting point guard was seen running up and down the length of the court and drilling consecutive three pointers from all the corners as if he’s already in the pink of his health.
Such scenes should be an encouraging sign for Gilas Pilipinas and head coach Chot Reyes especially now with 12 days left before the Nationals’ first game against Dominican Republic on Aug. 25.
Initial timetable on Thompson’s injury was around a week before the start of the World Cup but the PBA MVP fast recovery seemed to allow him to be already nearing full health now.
However, it’s still uncertain whether Thompson would be cleared to join Gilas in time for the final stretch of its preparations which included tuneup games against Montenegro and Mexico.
Reyes in an earlier interview said that the players’ performance during those games would play a crucial part to the team’s selection of the Final 12.
Should Thompson be able to return to duty, he could provide stability in the backcourt – something that has emerged as an issue during its pocket tournament in China.
During the trip, Reyes relied more on Kiefer Ravena in manning the point with Chris Newsome serving as a backup while also trying to convert CJ Perez into the team’s playmaker should Thompson not make it in time for the World Cup.
However, it was Thompson who ran the show and orchestrated Gilas offense during the time that Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto played for Gilas during one of the qualifying windows.
