Calvin Abueva has been tearing it up,
so he’s definitely on this list, but who else joins him as the top swingmen of
the PBA? Resident Gilas starting SF Gabe Norwood didn’t make the cut. So did
the high-flying Chris Ellis and the sweet-shooting KG Cañaleta. So who joins
the Beast? Well, read on and find out.
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| The Beast is on top, but who are the other top-performing SFs in the PBA right now? |
Without
further ado, here they are – the top five small forwards of the 2014-2015 PBA
season as of November 12, 2014 (as always, this is based on the Player
Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net):
5. Chris Lutz (SMB) - 10.8ppg, 4.6rpg,
2.6apg, 25.3 EFF
- Lutz hasn’t exactly been spectacular
for the Beermen, but they don’t need him to be. SMB has June Mar Fajardo,
Arwind Santos, and Marcio Lassiter leading the team, and Lutz, so far, has been
the perfect second-tier complement to those guys. His numbers are actually
better this season compared to last season in terms of scoring, rebounding,
FG%, and FT%. The only chink? He has yet to make a three after four games.
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| Can Chris Lutz up his game a bit more? |
4. JC Intal (BAR) - 13.0ppg, 4.3rpg,
1.0apg, 1.5 triples per game, .333 3pt%, 26.5 EFF
- The Energy aren’t going to win many
games this season (I see what
you did there, Jeric Fortuna!), but they cannot pin any blame on JC Intal.
He is by no means the best forward in the game, but he offers a decent balance
of attacking aggressiveness and outside shooting that makes him a notch above
the average joe. If the former Blue Eagle can continue playing at this rate, he
will register the best season in his eight-year career (of course, getting
married to Bianca Gonzalez kinda helps, too).
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| We might see the best of JC Intal this season. |
3. Matt Rosser (TNT) - 9.0ppg, 6.8rpg,
2.8apg, 1.0bpg, 27.9 EFF
- The season’s consensus #1 rookie is
playing for GlobalPort, but the next two best freshies are both in TNT. One of
those guys is Rosser, who has delivered on comparisons with Gabe Norwood.
Rosser, in fact, has, so far, registered better numbers than Gabe. I mean,
nearly 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block a game? It might not be
too long before this kid becomes the most versatile perimeter defender in the
country.
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| Is Rosser a sleeper ROY candidate? |
2. Sean Anthony (MER) - 10.0ppg,
7.2rpg, 2.6apg, 1.8spg, 28.3 EFF
- Anthony continues to build on his
great performance from the previous season. The Fil-Canadian is currently
dropping 10 markers an outing and pulling down a bit more than 7 boards, too. For
a team that’s really deep up front with Jared Dillinger, Cliff Hodge, and Reynel
Hugnatan, Meralco has found a way to make Anthony not just relevant, but
effective. Like Lutz, though, Anthony has yet to make a three (he shot 31% from
downtown last season), but if he does start knocking those down, then watch out.
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| Sean Anthony continues to grow into a solid pro. |
1. Calvin Abueva (ALA) - 17.0ppg,
13.2rpg, 2.0apg, 1.0spg, 40.7 EFF
- And here we thought maybe Abueva had
already left his best behind him. The former Golden Stag has just been
all-around awesome this season. He’s doing everything, from scoring points, grabbing
rebounds, making stops, embarrassing opponents, saving the Pasig River, to, uh,
singing Huling El Bimbo (with
Vic Manuel). I mean, this guy is the biggest reason the Aces are 5-0 and
sitting atop the standings. Needless to say, if he can keep this up, then a
BPOC citation and a conference title may not be too far off.
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| Calvin Abueva has been owning his foes so far in the PBA. |
Outside looking in:
Mac Baracael (GIN) - 25.0 EFF
Joe Devance (PUR) - 24.3 EFF
Jared Dillinger (MER) - 21.7 EFF
All images are by Paul Ryan Tan/Sports5.
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