Now that we have reached the semifinals, we now have a clear list of candidates for our top award, the Most Valuable Player.
I am pretty sure the MVP will be coming from one of the four teams currently in the semifinals. So, who are our five best candidates and how are we going to rank them?
#5 Calvin Abueva
I was debating with myself if I will just put him as honorable mention or at #5. I decided to put him as #5 because I do believe that his story of the renaissance was well-received by the media and his statistical production is good enough to create a good foundation for his candidacy. Abueva is, shockingly, the #1 player in terms of assists and #2 in terms of rebounds.
#4 Chris Newsome
14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 44% FG and 27% 3FG per game may not be comparable to the statline of the other candidates. But if Meralco succeeds to reach the Finals, Newsome's candidacy will get stronger. He is the ace player of the Bolts, who are capable of amazing the fans in the clutch.
#3 Stanley Pringle
Pringle is currently not on the top 10 in terms of points per game but there is a reason for that. He doesn't need to be a top 10 scorer for Ginebra to reach the semifinals. In this level of competition though, it could be a different story because we expect the defense of Meralco to be tighter, pushing the best play-creator of Ginebra, to work more. If Pringle shows up and Ginebra reaches the Finals, Pringle will come closer to his first MVP.
#2 Ray Parks
Love him or hate him but Parks has been a phenomenal player this conference. He is averaging 20.1 points (3rd), 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.0 three-pointers made (3rd) and 50% FG per game. Do not believe the haters who will say that Parks is all offense and no defense. Parks is arguably one of the most versatile defenders in the league, capable of handling centers up to point guards.
#1 Matthew Wright
Scoring is still the best barometer for the MVP award and Wright is currently #2 at 22.8 points. And he is also the most explosive three-point shooter with 3.3 makes per game, also #1. It will help his candidacy that he is the main guy of Phoenix, a team that is currently looking at as over-achievers. Also, Wright is capable of making unforgettable scoring moves in the clutch, just like what he did against Magnolia.
Add all of those things together and I think, Wright is currently the right choice as the best bet to be the 2020 PBA MVP.
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