MANILA -- TNT veteran Kelly Williams says he is "feeling better" after suffering a calf injury in the quarterfinals of the 2023 PBA Governors' Cup, but the former MVP is not rushing his return.

Williams, 41, injured his right calf just seven minutes into the Tropang GIGA's quarterfinal match-up against Phoenix Super LPG last March 22. At the time, TNT interim coach Jojo Lastimosa expressed his concern that Williams may be out for the rest of the season.

Even without their veteran forward, TNT went on to oust Meralco in four games in the semifinals, setting up a best-of-7 title showdown against Barangay Ginebra.

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"So I got injured, and now I'm feeling better," Williams said when asked about his status for the championship series. "There's not much more to that."

"Obviously, I wanna be out there right in Game 1, but we're just taking it slow," he explained. "I'm working with the team doctor and the PT to make sure I'm coming in wisely."

Before he got injured, Williams was putting up 8.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game for a TNT team that finished as the No. 1 seed in the elimination round.

A seven-time PBA champion, Williams is being cautious about his return to the court.

"Historically, my hard-headedness would get me out there, trying to go 100% when my body's not ready. So, now I'm just being smart," he said. "I'm 41 years old, so there's no margin for error here. So I just wanna be smart. But I'm feeling much better."

Williams is not the only veteran big man who is dealing with an injury ahead of the Finals series.

Barangay Ginebra forward Japeth Aguilar has missed the bulk of the conference with a knee injury, and remains day-to-day ahead of Game 1 on Eastern Sunday.

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