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.

#PBA2016: Six players who have really improved this season

One thing I watch out for in every season is this: who has shown drastic improvement in his game? Who has really worked so hard on his craft that his production and contribution have jumped significantly from the previous year?

At this point in the 2015-2016 PBA season, here are six players whose improvements have not gone unnoticed. They have really upped their level of play, and, for the most part, their respective teams have benefitted from this.

*Stats accurate as of March 30, 2016.

The Top 5 Power Forwards of the #PBA2016 so far

Images by Paul Ryan Tan/Marlon Bernabe/Sports5.

The power forward position has quite easily been the most productive one so far this season. Guys like Vic Manuel and Willie Wilson have seemingly come out of nowhere to be among the most statistically dominant players, while newbie Troy Rosario has joined the best PF convo with guys like Arwind Santos, Marc Pingris, RDO, and Cliff Hodge. Not all of them will be featured among our top five, though.

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