By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Meralco Bolts will be activating a new import in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup after their current reinforcement Su Braimoh suffered an Achilles injury.
Replacing Braimoh is versatile shooting guard Zach Lofton, their secondary import in the East Asia Super League (EASL) tournament.
The development was confirmed by Meralco team manager Paolo Trillo last December 7, 2023, as they prepare for their clash against the NorthPort Batang Pier on December 10, 2023.
Unlike Braimoh who is playing the center position for Meralco, Lofton is a six-foot-four guard who is a spitfire offensive player.
During Meralco’s game against the New Taipei Kings in the EASL tournament, Lofton erupted for 35 big points and flaunted his offensive prowess against the higher-seeded Asian squad.
However, the Meralco coaching staff will have to reshuffle its backcourt rotation once again with the arrival of Lofton in the PBA.
The Bolts already have a deep guard rotation of Aaron Black, Chris Newsome, Chris Banchero, and Anjo Caram. With the insertion of Lofton, one primary ball handler out of them will have to sacrifice his current playing time.
Currently, Meralco is sitting at the third spot of the PBA standings with an impressive win-loss record of 4-1.
Lofton will look to fill the shoes of Braimoh and steer the Bolts to a three-game winning streak if they prevail over the Batang Pier this coming Sunday.
