Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao viewed the PBA Season 48 Draft as a golden opportunity for lower-tier teams to fortify their rosters. However, he expressed concern that these promising draft picks might eventually find their way to the league's traditional powerhouse teams in a few years.
Guiao emphasized that the draft's deep talent pool of 124 hopefuls provided an excellent chance for independent teams to bolster their line-ups and enhance competitiveness, particularly since top teams had no early picks in the draft's initial rounds.
He pointed out, "The talent level is there. If you are a team looking to strengthen your lineup now, this is the time: record number of draftees, a very deep level of talent, and the good thing here is that the strong teams didn't get any early draftees."
However, Guiao acknowledged a potential issue, stating, "The problem is, in one or two years, these players we picked today might end up with those strong teams."
Guiao lamented the previous practice of some teams acting as "incubators" for talented players before eventually transferring them to different squads. He stressed the importance of being serious about competing and developing talent now, as opposed to functioning solely as an "incubator."
His concern is grounded in reality, as many top draft picks from the past decade have joined the league's top-tier teams. Of the last 13 No. 1 picks, only two—Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine (2008) and June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel (2012)—remain with the teams that initially drafted them.
In a separate statement, after the 2023 PBA Rookie Draft, Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao expressed his contentment with the players the team acquired, particularly big men Luis Villegas and Keith Datu.
The Elasto Painters selected Villegas and Datu with consecutive picks and went on to choose Henry Galinato, Sherwin Concepcion, JC Cullar, and Larry Arpia Jr. in later rounds.
Guiao, however, raised concerns about the team-building strategies of other franchises, particularly their roles as "incubators" for talented players before trading them to powerhouse squads.
He emphasized the need to place significant emphasis on parity in the PBA, believing it would foster the league's growth and development, allowing it to catch up with other Asian basketball leagues that have made substantial progress.
Guiao noted that various Asian pro leagues were rapidly developing and progressing, and he stressed the importance of the PBA keeping pace to remain competitive in the region.
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