Barangay Ginebra San Miguel head coach Tim Cone will be relying more on veteran Stanley Pringle in the absence of injured Scottie Thompson in the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
The multi-titled mentor admitted that Pringle would have to log in more minutes with Thompson’s return still doubtful due to back issues.
“Normally, we try to manage Stanley’s minutes. Try to keep him down so he can continue to stay healthy. But I told him this week that with Scottie out, with no Justin Brownlee, he really needs to step it up,” Cone said of the 37-year-old guard.
Pringle had been under load management in the past season to keep him fresh for a bigger role in the playoff.
But not this time.
“I’m gonna have to play him more minutes. We’ll start him in the game and play more minutes and he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it. I’m ready,’” Cone said.
“We just hope he can manage the heavier minutes and not breakdown.”
The 2014 top overall pick logged in 32 minutes in the Gin Kings’ return to action last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
He finished with 17 points and six assists in Ginebra’s 87-77 bounce-back win over Magnolia for a 3-1 win-loss record tied with NorthPort.
Pringle so far is averaging almost 24 minutes in the past four outings.
“He’s a dominant player in our league. I think he’s excited about getting back to playing normal minutes and not having it managed all the time,” Cone said.
There’s no definite timetable on when Thompson will finally suit up.
“It’s a back issue. You really can’t put a timetable on that,” he said.
“He’s doing everything he can to get back in the lineup if there’s a short-term answer for it, it’s gonna be a while yet.”
Cone also admitted the Gin Kings have to dig deep each game to fill the void Thompson left.
“I think people are underestimating how much Scottie Thompson means to us. Playing without Scottie had been a difficult adjustment for us. Finding guys to step up and bring that uncommon energy that he brings,” he said.
Aside from Pringle, Cone is also banking on veteran playmaker LA Tenorio and Nard Pinto to step on the plate especially with a big game ahead on Friday against defending champion San Miguel Beer.
