Adrian Nocum is making a habit of this.
The Rain or Shine guard became the first two-time Player of the Week recipient in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup, earning the PBA Press Corps citation for the period of April 8–12 after helping the Elasto Painters extend their franchise-best start to 6–0.
Nocum was the engine behind back-to-back wins over San Miguel Beer, 116–112, and Converge, 120-111—two results that have Rain or Shine sitting alone at the top of the conference standings and turning heads across the league.
Adrian Nocum Shows He’s Up for the Bright Lights
The bigger of his two performances came against the reigning Philippine Cup champions on April 10. Nocum poured in a conference-best 21 points against San Miguel, including 10 in the fourth quarter—two of them clutch triples—as the Elasto Painters held off a furious SMB rally to stay unbeaten.
Two nights later, on the occasion of Gabe Norwood’s jersey retirement ceremony, Nocum delivered again. His 6 of 8 points came in the second quarter, a stretch where Rain or Shine seized a seven-point cushion and built the momentum that carried them to win No. 6.
Over the two-game stretch, Nocum averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game—numbers that edged out a strong case from Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s RJ Abarrientos for the weekly honor.
Nocum Edges RJ Abarrientos
Abarrientos was no easy competitor to beat out. The Gin Kings guard fired 19 points and hit the winning layup in Ginebra’s 91–89 escape over Manila Clasico rival Magnolia, then came back 48 hours later to rifle in 28—spiked by seven three-pointers—in a 109–96 win over Phoenix. Also in consideration were Meralco Bolts’ CJ Cansino, Rain or Shine’s Gian Mamuyac, and Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson.
Nocum had previously claimed the Player of the Week citation for the March 18–22 period, making him the first player in Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup play to take the honor twice. For a Rain or Shine team that has surprised everyone with its perfect start, he has been exactly the kind of player every unbeaten team needs—the one who shows up in the moments that matter most.
