Having great shooting guards has always been a hallmark of the PBA, but that has been slowly changing these past few years. With the influx of quality big men and the rise of splendid playmakers, the off guard spot has been relatively quiet. Icons like Mark Caguioa, Gary David, Dondon Hontiveros, and James Yap, who are in the twilight of their pro careers, have gradually given way, while guys like Terrence Romeo, Jeff Chan, and Marcio Lassiter have tried hard to take their own places in PBA lore. Let’s see where things currently stand this season in terms of the league’s best SGs.
Without further ado, here they are – the top five shooting guards of the 2015-2016 PBA season:
*This is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net. Stats are accurate as of February 7, 2016.
5. Jeff Chan (ROS) - 13.2ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.8apg, 1.5 triples per game, 38.2 3pt%, 45.7 FG%
- Chan seems to have regained the scoring punch that made him so deadly in the 2011-2012 season. He is hitting threes at a career-best 38% clip, and his FG% is also at an all-time high. Needless to say, if the Bacolod-bred sniper continues to shoot at this rate, then only good things are sure to come to the Painters.
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| Resurgent Jeff Chan has been solid for ROS. |
4. Marcio Lassiter (SMB) - 13.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.0apg, 1.0spg, 2.1 triples per game, 38.0 3pt%, 40.8 FG%
- Lassiter was a huge reason the Beermen remained alive in their historic PHL Cup title comeback. He is playing his best since leaving Powerade in 2012, and that augurs well not just for San Miguel but for Gilas as well. Here’s to hoping the Fil-American can get the green light to don the national colors for this year’s #FIBAOQT.
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| SMB would've never won the PHL Cup if not for Lassiter's shooting. |
3. Gary David (MER) - 16.0ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.3apg, 1.9 triples per game, 34.4 3pt%, 43.8 FG%
- The Bolts were butt-awful in the PHL Cup, but don’t put the blame on this Bataan product, who left everything he had on the floor in every game. It’s hard to imagine that David is already 37 years old given how productive and deadly he remains, but the reality is he has reached his peak already. This may be as good as it’ll get for David not just for this season, but for the remainder of his career.
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| Meralco needs Gary David to continue torching those hoops. |
2. Carlo Lastimosa (BLA) - 17.0ppg, 3.3rpg, 2.7apg, 44.8 FG%
- Lastimosa is to this season what Joseph Yeo was to last season. This former Blue Eagle and CSB Blazer has risen to become the league’s most explosive scorer outside of the #1 guy on this list. Lastimosa hasn’t met a shot he doesn’t like (no matter how many defenders are on him), and that’s both a boon and a bane for the Elite, who need more consistency for them to develop as a legit playoff threat.
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| Carlo Lastimosa has been one of the few bright spots for Blackwater this season. |
1. Terrence Romeo (GLO) - 24.1ppg, 3.8rpg, 3.2apg, 3.3 triples per game, 33.7 3pt%, 40.3 FG%
- The streaky Terrence Romeo has no doubt become the gold standard in PBA shooting guards. I mean, he is second behind June Mar Fajardo in scoring and leads the entire league in three-pointers made. Despite his youth, he has quickly become the face and leader of the GlobalPort franchise, and just led them to the PHL Cup semifinals. It seems like nothing can slow Romeo down, and that can only be good for the Batang Pier, the PBA, and Gilas Pilipinas.
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| Can Terrence Romeo keep his stellar play up for the next two conferences? |
Honorable Mentions:
James Yap (STA) - 15.3ppg, 3.7rpg, 1.2apg, 1.6 triples per game, 36.7 FG%
PJ Simon (STA) - 12.3ppg, 2.4rpg, 1.5apg, 1.3 triples per game, 42.9 3pt%, 45.3 FG%
Larry Fonacier (TNT) - 10.0ppg, 3.3rpg, 2.6apg, 1.8 triples per game, 34.8 3pt%, 35.9 FG%
All images are by Paul Ryan Tan/Marlon Bernabe/Sports5.
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