NLEX is facing a race against the clock after losing DeQuan Jones for the remainder of the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, leaving the Road Warriors with just days to find a replacement import.
Jones suffered a gruesome ankle injury during NLEX’s overtime victory over TNT on Tuesday, forcing the team to immediately shift its attention toward finding another reinforcement before its final game ahead of the league’s long break.
The Road Warriors are scheduled to face Converge on Friday, giving coach Jimmy Alapag little time to make a decision. NLEX must submit its new import to the league by Thursday noon or enter the matchup with an all-Filipino lineup.
“You never expect your import to go down. I’ll get our staff together with management and try to figure out what we can do kasi ‘yung next game is Friday so medyo bitin ‘yung time,” Alapag said.
The urgency is understandable. Jones had become a major piece of NLEX’s impressive campaign, averaging 24.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks through eight games as the Road Warriors climbed near the top of Group A.
Replacing that production on short notice will be a difficult task, but NLEX knows it cannot afford to dwell on the setback with another important game approaching.
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“But we will do the best we can. But again, right now, all of our thoughts and prayers are with DJ.
Big time loss for our team but we will try to find somebody who can fill that void,” Alapag said.
Jones has already undergone successful surgery to repair the ankle dislocation sustained in the injury. He is also scheduled for another procedure to address the fractured fibula he suffered in the same incident.
While the Road Warriors work on finding his replacement, Alapag made it clear that the team’s immediate concern remains Jones himself rather than simply the production they have lost on the court.
“My deepest prayers go out to DJ. More than the basketball player, it’s the person. The team had lunch yesterday and his value to this team goes far beyond what he does on the basketball court. It’s the person, it’s the leadership, it’s the character. It’s heartbreaking to see him go down,” Alapag said.
That makes the search for a new import about more than filling a statistical gap.
NLEX is trying to replace a player who had become an important part of the team’s identity, while also keeping its momentum alive before the Governors’ Cup pauses for Gilas Pilipinas’ commitments.
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