The Top Five PBA Small Forwards Right Now (April 5, 2014)

The small forward spot has not been the most productive position this conference, which is quite strange given how some of the guys playing SF are among the most talented cagers in the league. The top guy on this list, in fact, is not even among the top 20 most efficient players in the league right now. That gives me the impression that, despite their skill levels, some of the PBA’s small forwards are being underutilized (or neutralized?) this conference.

Without further ado, here they are – the top five small forwards in the 2013-2014 PBA Commissioner’s Cup as of the morning of April 5, 2014 (as always, this is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net):

These are the top five PBA small forwards right now in the Commish Cup.
(all images from Sports 5)

2012 PBA Philippine Cup Roundup: November 24-25, 2012

As Ginebra rookie Chris Ellis flew in the air and slammed home a reverse jam to end the Gin Kings’ comeback win over the Rain or Shine Elasto-Painters, I thought, “Man, this kid is going to be awesome one day.”

One day.

Right now, Ellis isn’t really the best rookie out there (in terms of numbers at least). Heck, one might even argue he’s not the most explosive (Calvin Abueva anyone?) or athletic (read: Cliff Hodge), but Ellis definitely has the tools to be a consistent impact-player in the future. Perhaps not even just for the Kings, but for the National Team, too.

Chris Ellis is one of the PBA's top dunkers, but is he
also one of the top overall players?

After seeing the replay of his nifty reverse dunk, I went to PBA-Online and checked who, actually, the top rookies currently are.

Here’s what I found:

The TOP FIVE ROOKIES of the 2012-2013 PBA Season (so far):

Name	Team	Player Efficiency	Stats
Calvin Abueva	Alaska	34.40 (7 games)	13.3ppg, 9.0rpg, 1.7spg, 47.3 FG%
Cliff Hodge	Meralco	29.72 (11 games)	11.3ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.ospg, 1.0bpg
Vic Manuel	Global Port	25.56 (11 games)	10.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 48.0 FG%
Jason Deutchman	Global Port	25.43 (11 games)	9.7ppg, 6.8rpg, 1.0spg
Chris Ellis	Ginebra	24.77 (11 games)	9.8ppg, 4.8rpg, 47.2 FG%

Ellis is right up there, bunched up really close with Global Port’s dynamic young duo of Vic Manuel and Jason Deutchman. They’re a little behind Meralco’s Cliff Hodge, who was Ellis’s teammate on the SInag Pilipinas team last year, but the current runaway leader is Alaska’s Calvin Abueva.

What’s more impressive is Abueva playing just about as many minutes as Ellis. Of these five guys, Hodge logs in the most minutes with more than 31 per game, while Manuel plays the least at just a shade above 20.

One day Ellis might catch up with Abueva. He might even get ahead, but, right now, he’s still some ways off. With a bit more playing time and a bit more touches, he should make the jump. In the meantime, we, along with the millions and millions of Ginebra fans, will just have to be content with his occasional high-flying act.