(c) PBA Media Bureau
Did anyone predict Phoenix Fuel Masters to remain undefeated and be at the top of the standings after more than three weeks of play?
I did not.
Although, I was loud and clear that acquiring Alex Mallari was an awesome decision for them in the offseason.
The bigger question now is, should we treat Phoenix now as a legit title contender?
Let us take a look at some factors.
Victims
The five teams that Phoenix was able to defeat were Meralco, TNT, Columbian, Blackwater and NLEX. Yes, they already face the three teams with the least talented rosters. TNT and NLEX are quality teams but they have not proven to be at the same level as Ginebra, Magnolia and San Miguel.
Their victim list alone indicates that we need to slow down in anointing them as a championship-caliber team. Especially that the SMC sister-teams are the last three teams that they will face this conference.
Talent
In my top 100, I have Calvin Abueva and Matthew Wright as top 10 players. I think their performance this season is proving that I was reasonable in my assessment.
Wright is averaging 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 3PM per game. His efficiency is pretty bad at 35% FG and 18% 3FG but he can make plays for his teammates and elite in positioning on the offensive end. Defensively, he is starting to build a pretty good reputation as a stopper.
Abueva is also having a bad conference in terms of his efficiency (35% FG and 15% 3FG). But just like Wright, he is filling up the stat sheet. His current statline is 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 block.
Effort
Their frontline is still pretty small in comparison to the elite teams. They are countering that with effort, hustle and activity, led by The Beast. They are currently the top rebounding team with 57.8 rebounds per game, 4.8 boards better than the 2nd best.
Jason Perkins and JC Intal are the other big providers of securing the possession. The effort is not only seen on their rebounding but also in their ability to force turnovers and score from it. They are producing 24.2 turnover points per game.
Overall
Their frontline is still a big question mark and their schedule told us that we should not trust their record yet. I am not going to anoint them as legit title contenders.
Although, they now have the momentum and they are building winning chemistry which is vital in securing a deep run in the playoffs.
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