(c) PBA Media Bureau
We are about to finish our top 100 PBA players in 2018!
Who are the guys that you believed were overrated? How about those that you believed should have been ranked higher?
Nonetheless, we are down to the 10 best players in 2018. These are the guys that your favorite franchises can build a championship caliber team.
#10 Greg Slaughter: S(25) D(25) O(18) I(9)
Health was still the problem of Gregzilla in 2018. He missed 11 elimination games for the season, equivalent to one conference. With his size, he remained effective in every aspect of the game. Greg was dominant in the Philippine Cup and Governors Cup but not in the conference that they won the championship.
The best quality of Greg is still his size. Even though he is slow, he knows how to position himself on the defensive end to deter the slashers and protect the rim. Greg actually averaged more than 1.4 blocks in two conferences and average more than 1.4 assists in each conference.
#9 Christian Standhardinger: S(29) D(17) O(21) I(10)
Standhardinger was penalized for missing the Philippine Cup and some of the Commissioner's Cup. Nonetheless, he showed enough to me that I am pretty confident that he is already a top 10 player in the league.
In the Governors Cup, Standhardinger performed like he was one of the imports. He averaged 23.3 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 60% FG per game. He is so efficient that we can say that he epitomized the word "unstoppable". His defense though was still out of sync in the PBA. He was bad off-the-ball and was not effective in defending fastbreaks.
Other than his scoring, his passing and ability to breakdown the defense are special. He averaged more than 3.8 assists per game. Defensively, Wright is not a liability. With his length and athleticism alone, Wright can defend any wing and even guards. One-on-one, Wright's defense on the perimeter is respectable.
Even though he is more popular for his three-point shooting and dunks, Santos' defense is the real reason why he is valuable. He was the top blocker for two conferences last season and the third best in the Philippine Cup.
Last season, Arwind remained to be a flame-thrower for the Beermen, knocking down more than 1.9 three-pointers per game. Of course, he is also a credible passer and capable of handling the ball.
His three-point shooting was respectable last season as he shot better than 34% in two conferences. One underrated part of scoring is free-throw shooting and he was elite in two conferences with better than 90% efficiency.
Defensively, Castro was fine defending in the perimeter. With his feet, he can shadow any other guard in the league. He also manufactured more than 1 steal per game.
Defensively, Aguilar was more of a glue guy last season. He showed the ability to switch to guards and deter them from the rim and he was quick and attentive enough to recover to shooters. Let us not forget his ability to block shots, averaging more than 1 for the year.
In terms of scoring, Calvin remained to be an aggressive slasher to the rim and very capable of hitting rim shots through contacts. His floater is also becoming more accurate which could be a deadly weapon moving forward. In terms of his offense, he has good vision in finding open teammates.
Let us start with his rebounding. He was top 5 in rebounding (locals) in each conference. In the Philippine Cup, he was the third best by grabbing 11.2 FG misses per game, just behind two giants, JP Erram and Junemar Fajardo.
In short, he is one of the top 5 rebounder in the league which is beyond premium for Ginebra because he is a guard!
We also need to talk about his Offense. He has shown that he has the handle to make plays and breakdown the defense. What I love about him is his addiction to attacking the rim, opening up his teammates.
Lastly, he is also a proficient defender. He is really good in defending perimeter players because of his discipline and explosiveness.
In terms of his intangibles, he is a likable guy and he is the kind of player who improves as the stake is getting higher. He already connected on a lot of clutch shots and I expect to see more in the future.
He can still be much better in the future and he has a lot of time to further develop because he is only 25.
He mastered the most lethal shot in basketball, a pull-up three-pointer. With that in his arsenal, he can always rise and attempt a 3 and that will be a good shot no matter how close the defender is. What made him more special is that he can also pull-up inside the arc. Thus, he can play around the defense until he finds the spot that he wants.
Because of the weight that he is carrying on the offensive end, his defense has suffered. Still, Pringle maintained his aggressiveness and has forced more than 1.4 turnovers per game.
Lastly, he is one of the best closers in the league and he has been very professional playing on a franchise that is not surrounding him with other star players.
In terms of scoring, Pringle is way way better if we measure it through skills. But in terms of effectiveness, Fajardo is well above him. The Kraken has mastered how to use his agility, size, strength and fear-factor to keep putting the ball into the basket. The way he scores is not picture-perfect but so what?
In terms of defense, Fajardo knows very well how to protect the rim and defend fellow giants. He is not that effective away from the ring but not disastrous also.
His diligence in quickly running from end to end of the court has resulted in a lot of follow-ups and defensive stops.
Overall, I will still love to see him develop more refine post moves and a reliable midrange shot for the sake of our national team.
#8 Matthew Wright: S(26) D(19) O(21) I(11)
The moment he entered the league, we all know that Wright is special. But I doubt the majority of us projected him to be a top 10 player this early. Wright is a bona fide scorer, averaging more than 14.7 points per game in each conference. His number 1 weapon is his ability to hit pull-up three-pointers. He manufactured 2 or more long bombs per game in each conference.Other than his scoring, his passing and ability to breakdown the defense are special. He averaged more than 3.8 assists per game. Defensively, Wright is not a liability. With his length and athleticism alone, Wright can defend any wing and even guards. One-on-one, Wright's defense on the perimeter is respectable.
#7 Arwind Santos: S(24) D(29) O(14) I(10.5)
Do you know the age of The Spiderman of the PBA? He is already 37 years old and he is still one of the top 10 players in the league. That is the result of him having a well-rounded game.Even though he is more popular for his three-point shooting and dunks, Santos' defense is the real reason why he is valuable. He was the top blocker for two conferences last season and the third best in the Philippine Cup.
Last season, Arwind remained to be a flame-thrower for the Beermen, knocking down more than 1.9 three-pointers per game. Of course, he is also a credible passer and capable of handling the ball.
#6 Jayson Castro: S(26.5) D(18) O(21.5) I(11.5)
The Blur is not yet done cooking. He may not be the best point guard in Asia and in the league due to father time but he is still a top 10 player in the country. His scoring is still effective because his legendary first step is still elite.His three-point shooting was respectable last season as he shot better than 34% in two conferences. One underrated part of scoring is free-throw shooting and he was elite in two conferences with better than 90% efficiency.
Defensively, Castro was fine defending in the perimeter. With his feet, he can shadow any other guard in the league. He also manufactured more than 1 steal per game.
#5 Japeth Aguilar: S(27) D(24) O(14.5) I(12)
Japeth may have one of the most underrated breakout seasons for a while. Believe it or not but he is already an elite scorer! He was top 8 in points per game (locals) in each conference! He produced 17 or more points in each conference and he shot better than 48% all season. He is not a well-rounded scorer but he is very clever in finding ways to score.Defensively, Aguilar was more of a glue guy last season. He showed the ability to switch to guards and deter them from the rim and he was quick and attentive enough to recover to shooters. Let us not forget his ability to block shots, averaging more than 1 for the year.
#4 Calvin Abueva: S(23.5) D(30) O(18) I(6)
Even with the issue about his attitude, his temperament and his foul troubles, Calvin remained to be a one of the five best players in the league. Why? He is the most complete defensive player in the league. With his physical attributes, ferociousness and experience, he can actually defend point guards up to centers. He complements that with his ability to protect the rim and force turnovers.In terms of scoring, Calvin remained to be an aggressive slasher to the rim and very capable of hitting rim shots through contacts. His floater is also becoming more accurate which could be a deadly weapon moving forward. In terms of his offense, he has good vision in finding open teammates.
#3 Scottie Thompson: S(16.5) D(27.5) O(20.5) I(13.5)
Is Scottie a perfect player? No. His three-point shooting is pretty bad (worse than 29% efficiency in two conferences) and he is not really a very good scorer. Other than that though, almost all his other skills are above average.Let us start with his rebounding. He was top 5 in rebounding (locals) in each conference. In the Philippine Cup, he was the third best by grabbing 11.2 FG misses per game, just behind two giants, JP Erram and Junemar Fajardo.
In short, he is one of the top 5 rebounder in the league which is beyond premium for Ginebra because he is a guard!
We also need to talk about his Offense. He has shown that he has the handle to make plays and breakdown the defense. What I love about him is his addiction to attacking the rim, opening up his teammates.
Lastly, he is also a proficient defender. He is really good in defending perimeter players because of his discipline and explosiveness.
In terms of his intangibles, he is a likable guy and he is the kind of player who improves as the stake is getting higher. He already connected on a lot of clutch shots and I expect to see more in the future.
He can still be much better in the future and he has a lot of time to further develop because he is only 25.
#2 Stanley Pringle: S(30) D(17) O(24) I(14.5)
When Globalport traded Terrence Romeo, Pringle went into another level that even Jayson Castro may have never reach. The Beard tallied more than 20 points per game in each conference. His efficiency was respectable as he shot better than 42% in all conferences.He mastered the most lethal shot in basketball, a pull-up three-pointer. With that in his arsenal, he can always rise and attempt a 3 and that will be a good shot no matter how close the defender is. What made him more special is that he can also pull-up inside the arc. Thus, he can play around the defense until he finds the spot that he wants.
Because of the weight that he is carrying on the offensive end, his defense has suffered. Still, Pringle maintained his aggressiveness and has forced more than 1.4 turnovers per game.
Lastly, he is one of the best closers in the league and he has been very professional playing on a franchise that is not surrounding him with other star players.
#1 June Mar Fajardo S(30) D(27) O(21) I(12)
Fajardo is in a different tier by himself. That is how dominant he has been, not only last season, but for the last five years. That is also the reason why it is really disappointing that San Miguel Beermen had never delivered a grandslam.In terms of scoring, Pringle is way way better if we measure it through skills. But in terms of effectiveness, Fajardo is well above him. The Kraken has mastered how to use his agility, size, strength and fear-factor to keep putting the ball into the basket. The way he scores is not picture-perfect but so what?
In terms of defense, Fajardo knows very well how to protect the rim and defend fellow giants. He is not that effective away from the ring but not disastrous also.
His diligence in quickly running from end to end of the court has resulted in a lot of follow-ups and defensive stops.
Overall, I will still love to see him develop more refine post moves and a reliable midrange shot for the sake of our national team.
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