SAN Miguel Beermen (SMB) behemoth June Mar Fajardo (JMF) is making a strong push for his second Best Player of the Conference (BPC) plum in Season 49 and a record-stretching 12th overall.
Mr. Fajardo, who won the top individual plum in the season-opening Governors’ Cup, roared to the front of the BPC race in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup with a 40.4 average statistical points (SPs) through the end of the preliminaries.
The 6-foot-10 Cebuano anchored his leading card on solid averages of 17.5 points, a league-best 13.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists as he set the pace against rivals led by SMB teammate CJ Perez and NLEX gunner Robert Bolick.
Mr. Perez, the tournament’s premier scorer with 23.4 markers, ran second behind JMF with 38.5 SPs, while Mr. Bolick, the top assists-issuer with 7.2 per game, sat at third with 37.6 SPs.
Zav Lucero, who has been a rock for Magnolia with 18.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 block, occupied fourth with 37.3 SPs followed by Jason Perkins, who logged 35.5 SPs highlighted by a second-best 23.2 markers before Phoenix bowed out of the playoffs.
At sixth to 10th were TNT’s Calvin Oftana (35.4), Converge’s twin towers Justin Arana (34.6) and Justine Baltazar (34.6), Barangay Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar (34.2) and NorthPort’s Joshua Munzon, the All-Filipino meet’s leader in steals with 1.9 per match, with his 32.2 SPs.
Just outside the Top 10 were, Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson (31.4), Converge’s Deschon Winston (30.5), Phoenix’ Kai Ballungay (30.3), Ginebra’s Stephen Holt (30.2), NLEX’ Javee Mocon (29.3), Ginebra’s Jaime Malonzo (29.10), Rain or Shine’s Leonard Santillan (29.09) and Caelan Tiongson (28.7), Magnolia’s Ian Sangalang (28.3) and Ginebra’s RJ Abarientos (28.1).Just outside the Top 10 were NorthPort’s Joshua Munzon, the All-Filipino meet’s leader in steals with 1.9 per match, with his 32.2 SPs, Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson (31.4), Converge’s Deschon Winston (30.5), Phoenix’ Kai Ballungay (30.3), Ginebra’s Stephen Holt (30.2), NLEX’ Javee Mocon (29.3), Ginebra’s Jaime Malonzo (29.10), Rain or Shine’s Leonard Santillan (29.09), Meralco’s Chris Newsome (28.0) and Magnolia’s Ian Sangalang (28.3). — Olmin Leyba
