Unlike the time when he had Andray Blatche as a player, Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes is not worried about the conditioning of Jordan Clarkson when he arrives on August 8—just 17 days before the FIBA Basketball World Cup commences.

After all, Reyes has been in constant communication with Clarkson himself since he committed to the national team a couple of weeks ago.

“Well, number one, he has been working out. We’ve been in constant communication—nag-uusap kami. We’re talking about offenses, concepts, and things. I’ve been messaging him about our plans, his role, and he has assured me that he’s in pretty good shape, working out, and working on his skills,” Reyes said on Power & Play with Kom. Noli Eala on Saturday.

“The number one thing I can expect is he’s in basketball shape. Maybe not yet in top game shape, but he will have a couple of weeks to get there, and as you know, for a player of that caliber, that should be enough in terms of basketball playing ability and game shape.”