Scottie Thompson is still working his way back into shape despite a solid return for Ginebra in the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup.

The former league MVP played a key role in the Kings’ walloping of Meralco on Friday night but is still being hounded by a recurring back injury.

That’s beside the left knee injury that he’s still recovering from, which was the reason why he sat out the reigning champions’ last three games.

“Wino-work out ko ‘yung shape ko,” said Thompson during the postgame presser of their 110-96 win over the Bolts at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

It had been the first time since the 2021 Philippine Cup bubble in Bacolor, Pampanga that the Davaoeno star missed multiple games, yet he seemed to not have missed a beat with the way he played against their arch-rivals.

He delivered 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, seven rebounds, seven assists, and a block in a turnover-less outing in nearly 38 minutes as he helped the Kings’ fourth-quarter pullaway to eventually end a two-game skid.

“One of the big things is getting this guy back,” said head coach Tim Cone. “He changes the way we play with his hustle and desire on both sides of the floor.”

Making the champion bench tactician all the more proud of his prized guard was the way he impacted the floor on D, especially in helping limit explosive scorer Zach Lofton to only 23 points on 7-of-20 shooting from the floor.

The former Detroit Piston was averaging 42.0 points heading into Friday until he came across the Barangay’s scheme, where the team gave him different looks by throwing Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, and Maverick Ahanmisi.

“Tonight, his defense, it was a tag team for him — he and Mav and Jamie were tag-teaming off their import. And they all did a great job,” Cone said.

That’s why Thompson, despite not being at max health yet, is nonetheless happy to have finally come back into the fold for the crowd darlings.

“I’m just happy that I’m back to play the game that I love, and to help the team get the W tonight,” he said.