The Top 5 Small Forwards entering the 2016-2017 PBA Season

Images by Paul Ryan Tan.

*This was written on November 16, 2016.

In a few days, the new PBA season will finally be upon us! A few weeks after Ginebra won a title for the first time since the three-conference format was reinstated, we will be ushering in a new season where the best and brightest players this side of Asia will take the stage again and battle for the country’s ultimate basketball titles. First, though, let’s look at some exciting players to watch heading into the 2016-2017 PBA Philippine Cup. In the previous post, I wrote about the Top 5 Shooting Guards, but now let’s look at the Top 5 Small Forwards heading into the 2016-2017 season.

*This is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net. Stats are accurate as of November 16, 2016.

#FIBAOQT: Has the cutting of Abueva and Tenorio divided Philippine fans?

(Image from FIBA)

*This first appeared on my weekly column on FIBA.com.

The energetic Calvin Abueva and veteran LA Tenorio were cut from the final 12-man roster of the Philippines, and it has been met with strong reactions. I mean, few countries, if any, around the world can match the fervor and passion of Philippine basketball fans. Even fewer can count so many individuals who are as opinionated as Filipino hoop nuts.

This is not the first time, of course, that Philippine fans have reacted so strongly to the final composition of their national team. People bemoaned the 2011 Gilas Pilipinas team — coached by iconic Serbian tactician Rajko Toroman — that was mostly made up of amateurs. They let their discontent be heard when some Philippine Basketball Association teams actively limited their contributions to Gilas Pilipinas to just one player each. Recently, in 2015, they relentlessly criticized the non-inclusion of stalwarts like June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter and Greg Slaughter from the team that was sent to the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship.

The PBA Position Battle – The Top 10 Wingmen of the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup

Images from Paul Ryan Tan/Sports5.

The season’s second conference is reaching its home stretch, and the time is ripe for us to look back and show our appreciation for the players who really stepped up and made their mark. The PBA is a talent-rich league, and this can be easily seen in the number of productive wingmen from all over. I mean, look at the list that’ll follow. It’s a combo of established veterans and up-and-coming young guns. And legends James Yap and Mark Caguioa aren’t even part of it!

Note: All of the following stats are based on each player’s stats as computed by PBA-Online.net. They were taken on May 1, 2016.

Calvin Abueva is the best PBA player RIGHT NOW

The Beast is the best right now.
(image from the PBA/Inquirer)

Tonight, when you get home and are greeted by your spouse, kids, and dog, Calvin Abueva will be the best player in the PBA.

Tomorrow morning, when the sun wheels out from its hiding place, Calvin Abueva will still be the best player in the PBA.

That’s because Calvin Abueva is the best PBA player right now, and right now means in this very moment. Not this conference. Not this season. Not the past ten months. 

Abueva is owning the league right now, and he’s taking the Alaska Aces all the way to the top.

It feels very good to write that.

The Top 5 Small Forwards of the #PBA2016 so far

This season hasn’t been particularly good for PBA small forwards. With the exception of Sean Anthony and Calvin Abueva, no swingmen have really stood out so far this season as the Philippine Cup was dominated by centers and playmakers. When the Commish Cup begins, however, that should change as the big imports will probably dominate possessions and open things up for small forwards to operate. If that happens, we should see more of the usual suspects on this list.

Without further ado, here they are – the top five small forwards 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.

The Top 5 Small Forwards of #PBA2015

The small forward spot has been quite an interesting position to watch this past season in the PBA. It remains to be populated by some of the most versatile players in the country — from do-it-all players to sharpshooters to high-flyers to defensive specialists. Gone are the days, too, when 6’0-6’2 guys played swingman. In this day age, the default size seems to be around 6’3-6’5, with some even being as tall as 6’7 (Hello, JDV!). Here we list down the five most productive SFs of this past season. The top dog here may not surprise you, but a couple might make your head shake or make you raise your brows. 

Without further ado, here they are – the top five small forwards of the 2014-2015 PBA season:

*This is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net.