By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
AJ Edu, one of the breakout stars for Gilas Pilipinas during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, will be out for at least three months after suffering a torn meniscus injury in his knee.
It was the Toyama Grouses who disclosed the latest health update on Edu, the franchise that acquired him to play in the Japan B. League.
Edu suffered the unfortunate injury last November 12, 2023, when the Grouses took on the Utsunomiya Brex in a regular season game.
Despite the 3-21 record of Toyama, Edu is proving his worth as the team’s Filipino Asian import after averaging 13.1 points and 8.9 rebounds during the first 14 games of the season.
Edu quickly found his footing with the Grouses after showing his rebounding skills and his tenacity to dive for the second chance ball possessions.
The 23-year-old power forward also took the responsibility for anchoring the Toyama defense when he was the one manning the shaded lane.
Just like his impressive performance during the World Cup going up against the top big men of every country, Edu didn’t skip a beat and is continuing to evolve his game especially on the offensive side.
His inconsistent jump hooks and turn-around floaters immediately improved in Japan and is still developing those much-needed arsenal to become a more complete player.
The Grouses then gave an update that Edu already completed his knee operation and would kick off his rehabilitation stage once the team doctors gave him the green light.
If Edu responds to the rehab quickly, he will have the chance to reinforce Toyama after three exact months.
