We will finally name the cream of the crop of the PBA in 2019. The ten best players in the league. The ones who can make a franchise a legit contender by their presence alone.
After months of careful and in-depth study, these are my top 10 players in the PBA for 2019!
If you want to see 11th to 100th click these links!
11th to 25th
26th to 50th
51st to 75th
76th to 100th
Scoring (S) - 30
Primarily, this is the ability of the player to score. Their points per game were the primary statistics that were scrutinized but we also give a huge weight on the efficiency of the player. We also factor in the fact that there are a hundred ways to score, so the more ways a player score efficiently will also increase his points in this area.
Defense (D) - 30
Defense represents 50% of the game for a player. This score will take into account the ability of the player to stop someone, man-to-man. Now, the defense is not all about man-to-man but also about the capacity of a player to work in the defensive scheme of a team. Enjoined to this area is the ability of the player to get rebounds and to help his team control the boards.
Offense (O) - 25
Scoring is the only goal of offense but the other factors that will pave the way for good scoring opportunities will reside in this area. Primarily, this is about the ability of the player to break down defenses and make plays for his teammates. Added into this is the intelligence of the player in making the right plays, reads, and positions in helping out the team take a good shot.
Intangibles (I) - 15
There are four other elements of a player that basically form this criterion. They are leadership, chemistry, clutch, and health. Those four are not part of the first three but actually elevate a player. LA Tenorio is not as valuable as the Tenorio that we know today without his ability to command and his 100% health status.
In case of ties, they will be ranked according to age with the youngest being the highest.
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Rank. Name of the Player. Scoring/Defense/Offense/Intangibles
To box him as a 3-and-D player will be an understatement to what Marcio Lassiter can really do. The guy produced 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steal, 2.2 3PM and 35% 3FG per game in 2019. He is not merely a role-playing shooter because his pull-up jumper is lethal not only in the midrange but also from beyond the arc.
Of course, I will not consider him as a top scorer but he is more than capable of being the ace player for a period of time in a game. He is not only a very good passer but he can also make plays for others. And of course, his defense is still as reliable as ever. Although, in my evaluation, it has regressed this season. It could be the result of the several injuries that he has been suffering for a while.
Even though CJ Perez took home the title for scoring in 2019, Matthew was as effective as ever in romping up points. He was 6th, 3rd and 2nd in the Philippine Cup, Commissioner's Cup and Governors' Cup, respectively.
Overall, Wright ended up averaging 18.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 38% FG and 34% 3FG per game last season. He is underrated in a way because some critiques point to the fact that he has a lot of usage in a very bad team. The fact is, his skill level is really high. His first step is very underrated for a wingman.
This season, I also observed that he has been putting more effort into his defense. He has been forcing his way more against screens and that should make his defense, grow. Lastly, he is one of the deadliest clutch scorers in the league.
To say that Sean Anthony is underrated is kinda underrated because we all know it but still, we do not recognize him as one of the top 10 best players in the league. The foundation of his game is his aggressiveness which is pretty obvious in his rebounding. He was a top 10 rebounder in each conference. That aggressiveness is also clear on his defense, especially in forcing turnovers. Chris Ross has been known as the king of steals of this generation but last year, Sean finally got the crown with 2.4 per game against the 2.2 of Chris.
And his offense? Just look at his 2019 statistical line of 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 41% FG and 29% 3FG per game. Yes, his efficiency is suspect but the guy posted a higher offensive rating than more popular offensive players like CJ Perez and Matthew Wright.
Entering the season, I did not expect CJ to be a top 10 player right away, and he ended up as #7. The biggest reason is, of course, his scoring. He was the top scorer for the season at 20.8 points per game. What made that amazing is his FG% of 44.7%, which is higher than that of Matthew Wright, Jayson Castro and Paul Lee. He is so efficient because he is unstoppable in driving to the rim because of his quick first step, strong body and ability to score against contact.
Other than his scoring, CJ is also well rounded as he averaged 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 33% 3FG per game. He is not the Baby Beast if he is not a monster in getting rebounds. He is not the Baby Beast if he cannot wreak havoc and create open looks for his teammates. Actually, he could be more deserving now of The Beast monicker because his game is more complete than that of Calvin Abueva.
Yes. In terms of skillset and overall theoretical impact, Standhardinger should be #2. But of course, we need to see that in a full season. Nevertheless, he was so great in the Governors'Cup, where he ended up as the Best Player of the Conference, that I pushed his ratings enough for him to be at #6. In that conference, he produced 22.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 52% FG per game.
His game is not that beautiful to watch. He doesn't have the pretty post moves of a Ranidel de Ocampo and Reynel Hugnatan. He doesn't have a consistent short jumper like that of Sonny Thoss. What he does is to power his way to his spots and attempt awkward looking shots that find the bottom of the net, more than 50% of the time.
I also want to praise his screening. It is an underrated art in the game of basketball but it does give a lot of breathing room for his teammates. And of course, he has the average handle and accurate passing to create for his teammates.
It seems like the fans of Ginebra have forgotten about Japeth Aguilar because of their focus on their 2019 acquisition, Stanley Pringle, the stagnant Scottie Thompson and the soft Greg Slaughter. Japeth did not really show much improvement in term of skillset but coach Tim Cone has been emphasizing him more in their system. That helped him got the 2019 PBA Gov. Cup Finals MVP recognition.
Aguilar produced 14.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 56% FG and 1.6 blocks per game. He doesn't have the most eye-popping numbers but his overall impact is clear in the Advance stats. He is +8.8 in the court. It means that per 100 minutes, his team outscores the opponent by 8.8 points per game.
He is an excellent off-ball player which I value as much as the on-ball types of players because of supply and demand. There are way more on-ball players, guys who need to handle the ball to be effective, than those who could impact the offense without it. He is great at cutting to the basket and finding the right scoring position.
And of course, defensively, he is one of the best rim protectors in the league. He is great at maximizing his length and athleticism to block and deter shots at the rim.
Is Paul Lee the best scorer in the league? No. Is he the best shooter in the league? No. Is he the best playmaker in the league? No. He is not the best at any of those three but he is on the conversation for all of those three distinctions.
His 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 three-pointers made per game is not that eye-popping for his rank. If you convert that though to 36 minutes of play, you will get 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 three-pointers made per game.
He was the most effective three-point shooter last season. He can pull-up as far as 32 feet and be efficient enough to be respected. That opens up his game. His first step is effective because of the threat that he can rise on any spot in the court and make the shot.
Defensively, he is respectable. He can defend 80% of the guards in the league. With his size, he was an effective team defender.
I understand if you think that I have a lot of explaining to do. Pogoy feels like the third-wheel to Troy Rosario and Jayson Castro last season. The reality is, he just did not handle the ball that much but he was actually their best player. He manufactured 14.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.8 steals, 44% FG, 35% 3FG and 2.3 three-pointers made per game.
Yes, his points and rebounds per game are quite similar to Paul but you exchanged the two assists differences for more steals and way better efficiency. In short, it is not wrong to say that he is a more efficient Paul Lee, in terms of scoring. His first step is not as effective as Paul Lee. What he has though is an elite floater. With that floater, he can score over taller defenders and against long arms at his face.
He is also a pretty unique defender. If you watch him play, you will not judge him as an aggressive defender but he is very good at forcing a lot of turnovers. That helps him overcome some of his deficiencies in terms of quickness. He is also persistent in going through screens and even though his leaping ability is not that great, he can actually protect the rim.
And of course, he is the most feared three-point shooter in the league right now. He showed that when he punched ten long bombs against Brgy. Ginebra last season.
We finally saw him play for a loaded team and he has proven to be as good as what we saw on Northport Batang Pier. This season, he averaged 17.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 46% FG, 35% 3FG and 2.4 three-pointers made per game. I gave him the highest points in scoring because he is an elite-level scorer in the paint, in the midrange and from beyond the arc. That is the result of having a super quick first step and the ability to hit pull-up shots.
With his quick first step, he can easily find a good open shot. Actually, he doesn't need to be open that much. He is more than capable of hitting shots against outstretch arms. And if he is off-the-ball, he can still gravitate the defense because of how good of a scorer and a shooter, he is. I love it when he takeover games and just score against any defender.
His playmaking is also elite. He is not the flashiest passer in the league but the pull of his scoring helps him a lot in opening up shots for his teammates.
With his good physique, he is also good at boxing out opponents and securing rebounds. Defensively, his athleticism and his good physique help him handle any size of guards and even wings. Coach Tim Cone even trusted him to lockdown imports.
Overall, Stanley Pringle is the most complete guard in the league right now and I think, it is not even close.
It sucks that the current MVP streak of The Kraken will end due to injury. I am super excited about the 2020 season, primarily because of the MVP race that should have been led by the battle of Fajardo and Standhardinger. That is not the case now.
Fajardo produced 18.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 57% FG per game. He was the 2nd best scorer this season with 12% advantage in terms of FG%! That is a huge difference. He is basically hitting 6 of every 10 shots that he takes. He has good accuracy in terms of his short jumper and of course, he can force his shots at the paint.
He was the #1 rebounder during the season. He was #1 in the three conferences and it was not close. He was always ahead by almost two rebounds against the next one. With him on the court, San Miguel is always controlling the game.
Lastly, his defense is pretty good. His blocks per game is lower than that of Japeth Aguilar but he is as effective as Japeth in deterring shots because of good positioning and his size. What makes him special on the defensive end is his off-ball defense. He is good at making sure that the center that he is defending, either import or local, will not reach a comfortable position on the court.
Overall, Fajardo is the best player in the league and I do not see that changing for a while.
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