Even though 2019 did not end up as a very deep draft, I still saw it as a very interesting batch because of a lot of not properly hyped prospects.
Most of them last played for the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, with Rey Suerte and Allyn Bulanadi ended up in the Gilas draft.
Although, both of those guys also played in NCAA/UAAP last year. So, you should be pretty familiar with them.
In this article, we will look at the MPBL players drafted in the first two rounds, who did not play in NCAA/UAAP in 2019. We will rank them according to how impactful they will be during their rookie season/conference if IATF will allow the PBA to have one.
#9 Rey Publico
Opportunity is important for a rookie and for Publico, that could be small because Alaska has a lot of forwards in Robbie Herndon, Kevin Racal and even fellow rookie Barkley Ebona.
#8 Chris Bitoon
Bitoon was an explosive scorer in MPBL, notching 15 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4 assists per game. I am not really sure though if Blackwater can really give him that many minutes knowing that they have three incumbent small guards already in Paul Desiderio, Roi Sumang and Diego Dario.
#7 Vince Tolentino
Coach Caloy Garcia said that they will bank on their rookies for the upcoming season. That is not much good news for Vince because Rain or Shine drafted three other guys in the first round.
#6 Aris Dionisio
I think Dionisio has the highest talent in this list but with the addition of Jackson Corpuz and 2018 1st round pick Michael Calisaan still there, it is hard to see him get that much of playing time. Although, the chance that he could outshine those two, especially on defense, is a big possibility.
#5 Will McAloney
With the trade of Poy Erram and knowing the rotation philosophy of coach Yeng Guiao, Will has a chance of getting a rotation spot right away. Will has that burly playing style combined with a willingness to shoot three that could remind us of Beau Belga.
#4 Aaron Black
They will surely deny this but I think Aaron will surely get an opportunity with his father as his head coach. And I think, he should get an opportunity. Meralco should try to play different combinations of Newsome-Quinto-Maliksi-Salva-Black. I will not be shocked if Black puts up an all-around number in his first season.
#3 Arvin Tolentino
Coach Tim Cone is not the type of coach that will give a lot of playing time to his rookies but circumstances are different from Tolentino. The sabbatical of Greg may have left enough playing time for Arvin to work on. Knowing the age of Joe Devance and the inability of Aljon Mariano to hit three-pointers, Arvin may actually have a role right away.
So, it may not be a coincidence when coach Tim anointed him as the next Arwind Santos.
#2 Richard Escoto
I am intrigued by how Blackwater will use Richard. He is an undersized power forward but with a legit three-pointer in his arsenal. Richard is a versatile player that can play a lot of role for coach Nash Racela.
#1 Mike Ayonayon
There is no way that coach Yeng Guiao drafted Mike with the #3 pick if Mike will not be getting a role right away. With a regular spot in the rotation and with what I saw with Mike, I can easily see him as a breakout star this season.
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