Who else but San Miguel’s Fajardo

By Robert Andaya

Eight-Time Most Valuable Player (MVP) awardee June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer is well on the way to   securing another PBA Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award.

The 6-10 pride of Compostela, Cebu leads the race for the top individual honor in the season-opening Governors’ Cup as the elimination round concluded recently.

Fresh off winning the BPC plum  in the recent Philippine Cup, Fajardo topped the statistical point standings heading into the playoffs with 43.9 SPs.

Fajardo, nicknamed the “Kraken”, also leads the league in rebounding with 15.0 boards per game, while averaging 21.3 points and 2.8 assists.

Challenging Fajardo are NLEX superstar Robert Bolick, NorthPort standout  Arvin Tolentino, San Miguel Beer teammate CJ Perez, and Barangay Ginebra Japeth Aguilar.

Bolick is second behind Fajardo  with 38.7 SPs, leading the league in assists with 8.6 per game, alongside averages of 20.4 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Tolentino, who ranks first in scoring with 23.7 points per game, is third with 37.5 SPs. He also posts 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, although NorthPort missed the quarterfinals.

Perez, last season’s Commissioner’s Cup BPC, is fourth with 37.0 SPs, averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Aguilar rounds out the Top 5 with 33.4 SPs, contributing 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists for Ginebra.

In sixth place is another Ginebra player, Scottie Thompson, with 30.3 SPs, thanks to averages of 12.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists.

Blackwater rookie Sedrick Barefield is the lone newcomer in the Top 10 with 29.5 SPs, averaging 18.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.

Completing the Top 10 are Alec Stockton of Converge (29.1 SPs), Ginebra’s sophomore Stephen Holt (28.4 SPs), and Meralco’s Chris Newsome (28.1 SPs).

In the race for the Best Import Award, Blackwater’s George King leads the way with 61.7 SPs, dominating the scoring charts with 40.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game, despite Blackwater falling short of the playoffs.

Reigning Best Import winner Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is second with 57.6 SPs, leading the league in assists (6.2), steals (2.7), and blocks (2.1). He is followed by NLEX’s Dequan Jones (55.3 SPs), San Miguel’s Jordan Adams (50.1 SPs), and Converge’s Jalen Jones (47.5 SPs).

Three-time Best Import awardee Justin Brownlee is in sixth place with 47.4 SPs, while Aaron Fuller tops the league in rebounds (17.0) and is seventh with 46.8 SPs. Three-time award winner Allen Durham of Meralco also holds 46.8 SPs, placing eighth.