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| Who would you pick as the top five rookies of the season? |
With four teams having
already ended their season (as of this writing) and only six clubs remaining to
dispute the Governors’ Cup, I think the time is ripe to begin talking about
some of the end-of-season awards. I already started this in my previous
post about Greg Slaughter’s being the runaway Rookie of the Year and about
how he should also be a member of one of the Mythical Five teams.
In this particular post,
I’ll talk about even more of the rookies and try to build two PBA All-Rookie
Teams. For the record, the PBA itself doesn’t announce two All-Rookie Teams.
There really is just one, but I think it would be pretty fun to make a second
team especially for this batch of rookies because so many of them have had
shining moments this past season.
There are only a couple
of guidelines to consider here:
1) A player named to any
of the following teams must be a bona fide rookie in the 2013-2014 season.
2) Each team is composed
of one center, two forwards, and two guards. Given this particular limitation,
I will take the liberty to judge whether certain players can play multiple
positions or not.
For comparison purposes,
these are the PBA All-Rookie Teams from the past two seasons:
2011-2012 PBA All-Rookie Team:
C - James Sena
F - Dylan Ababou
F - Marcio Lassiter
G - Paul Lee (Rookie of
the Year)
G - JV Casio
2012-2013 PBA All-Rookie Team:
C - June Mar Fajardo
F - Calvin Abueva (Rookie
of the Year)
F - Cliff Hodge
G - Alex Mallari
G - Chris Tiu
Just so we have some sort
of objective statistical basis, let’s look at the top fourteen rookies as of
June 18, 2014. These rankings are based on their player efficiency rating (EFF)
as calculated by PBA-Online.net.
Name
|
GP
|
PPG
|
RPG
|
APG
|
SPG
|
BPG
|
FG%
|
EFF
|
Greg SLAUGHTER
|
42
|
14.6
|
9.9
|
1.6
|
0.2
|
1.4
|
53.4
|
37.4
|
Terrence ROMEO
|
30
|
12.4
|
3.0
|
2.2
|
0.6
|
0.1
|
34.3
|
24.9
|
Raymond
ALMAZAN
|
49
|
6.0
|
5.7
|
0.6
|
0.3
|
1.0
|
55.1
|
23.2
|
Ian SANGALANG
|
61
|
7.7
|
4.8
|
0.6
|
0.2
|
0.4
|
48.0
|
22.6
|
Jeric FORTUNA
|
23
|
6.7
|
2.5
|
2.0
|
0.4
|
0.0
|
36.7
|
18.3
|
Justin MELTON
|
50
|
4.5
|
2.1
|
1.2
|
0.9
|
0.2
|
40.1
|
16.8
|
RR
GARCIA
|
32
|
6.4
|
1.7
|
1.6
|
0.3
|
0.0
|
34.6
|
16.5
|
Carlo LASTIMOSA
|
28
|
5.1
|
1.9
|
13
|
0.5
|
0.1
|
35.9
|
15.9
|
Eric
CAMSON
|
34
|
3.7
|
3.5
|
0.2
|
0.3
|
0.1
|
43.4
|
15.8
|
Justin
CHUA
|
29
|
3.7
|
2.3
|
0.4
|
0.2
|
0.3
|
38.3
|
15.6
|
Alex
NUYLES
|
43
|
3.6
|
1.6
|
0.8
|
0.3
|
0.1
|
38.3
|
13.9
|
Eliud POLIGRATES
|
32
|
3.7
|
1.5
|
0.7
|
0.3
|
0.0
|
39.5
|
12.8
|
Nico
SALVA
|
24
|
3.3
|
2.0
|
0.5
|
0.2
|
0.0
|
31.0
|
12.6
|
Jeric
TENG
|
40
|
2.5
|
1.3
|
0.7
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
25.4
|
10.3
|
Again, keep in mind we
should have one center, two forwards, and two guards for each team. Seeing as
we can be flexible with the players’ positions, however, some “big guys” can be
both C and PF (this includes Sangalang, Almazan, and Chua), while some
“wingmen” can be both guards and forwards (this includes Nuyles and Teng).
Be that as it may, here
are my picks for the best rookies of 2013-2014:
My 2013-2014 PBA All-Rookie First Team:
C - Greg Slaughter
Slaughter should be the
Rookie of the Year for the season, despite the fact the Gin Kings blew hot and
cold. Undoubtedly, Slaughter left an indelible impact on Ginebra and the PBA
fans, and his match-up with June Mar Fajardo is something we should look forward
to on an annual basis.
F - Raymond Almazan
Yes, Almazan almost
always plays center, but when paired with Beau Belga, Alex McLean, or Wayne
Chism, he actually sometimes played the 4 spot. He is almost a sure thing
around the basket, and he has the potential to be a really big star in the
pros.
F - Ian Sangalang
I wouldn’t be a wee bit
surprised if some people think Sangalang should be Rookie of the Year. Though
his numbers pale in comparison to Slaughter’s, one cannot discount the fact
this former Golden Stag was a big reason the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers have a
shot at a rare PBA Grand Slam.
G - Terrence Romeo
True to form, Romeo had
an up-and-down season highlighted by his hot-again-cold-again shooting. Case in
point, “Bro” had three instances this conference when he scored in
single-digits after scoring in double-figures in the previous encounter. Still,
in spite of his inconsistency, Romeo remains one of the most dangerous young
guns in the league.
G - Jeric Fortuna
Fortuna didn’t play much early
in the season, but he has really come along of late. In the Govs’ Cup, the
former UST playmaker tickled the twine for two treys per game while norming
nearly 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists per contest. Possibly the best game
of his rookie campaign was a 10-point, 12-assist double-double performance
against the Beermen last May 28, 2014.
Second Team:
C - Justin Chua
Chua has already bounced
around quite a bit despite being just one year removed from the UAAP. He was
drafted by San Mig Coffee, traded to GlobalPort, and now has ended up with the
San Miguel Beermen. He has really yet to show what he is capable of, but given
the right situation and more playing time, he has the potential to be a solid
big for years to come.
F - Eric Camson
Despite playing barely
more than 11 minutes per game this season, the former Adamson stalwart has
impressed. The 6’4 power forward is averaging just 3.7 points and 3.5 rebounds
per outing, but, again, that’s already given his paltry minutes. If he can play
anywhere between 20-30 minutes per game, then we might just see the emergence
of yet another underrated player.
F - Alex Nuyles
The 6’3 Nuyles has the
perfect size, athleticism, and skill-set to be a consistent contributor in the
PBA. His three-point and free throw shooting are both suspect, but Nuyles isn’t
really built for those things. Nuyles is in the pros because of his aggressiveness
and athleticism. Should he find his bearings soon, then the Painters have
another rising star to their ever-glowing roster.
G - Justin Melton
If “Quick Melton” were on
any other club’s roster, it wouldn’t be a shocker to see him blossom into one
of the best guards in the PBA. Be that as it may, however, Melton isn’t the
type who is after individual accolades. Instead, he’s a coach’s dream for his
work ethic, dedication, and patience. Oh, and those hops!!!
G - RR Garcia
This former King Tamaraw and UAAP MVP has his work
cut out for him at GlobalPort. In about 19 minutes per contest, Garcia puts up
about 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Just like Fortuna, a change
in scenery and playing time should give this kid a lot more confidence.
Agree or disagree? Who are your picks?
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