RJ Abarrientos won the Best Player of the Conference award and a championship ring. But the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup had more individual brilliance than a single trophy could contain.
The midseason conference—won by the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel after dethroning the TNT Tropang 5G in seven hard-fought games—produced elite individual performances across the board, from young guards rewriting their ceilings to veterans reminding the league why they are still the standard. Here is how the best of the best stacked up.
Scoring: Ahanmisi’s Swan Song With Terrafirma
Jerrick Ahanmisi left the Terrafirma Dyip in style. The veteran guard led all local scorers with 21.25 points per game, also topping the conference in 4-point baskets made with 12 and field goals made with 93. He was the most prolific local scorer in the building—and the Blackwater Bossing’s Sedrick Barefield pushed him the entire way, the sophomore guard finishing second at 21.08 points per outing in what was an emphatic statement of his early-career potential.
Abarrientos, the Best Player of the Conference, came in third among locals at 19.96 points per game. The Gilas Pilipinas member was not the top scorer in the conference—but he was the most important player in it. Macau Black Knights’ Damian Chong Qui averaged 19.83 and NLEX Road Warriors’ Robert Bolick rounded out the top five local scorers at 19.79.
Three-Pointers and Assists: Abarrientos and Bolick Own Their Categories
Abarrientos owned the three-point department, draining a conference-best 77 triples—a number that underscores why Ginebra leaned on him so heavily when games were on the line.
Bolick, meanwhile, remained the premier playmaker in the league. The Road Warriors guard topped the assists chart at 8.21 dimes per game and led all players in free throws converted with 74 made from the stripe.
Shooting Efficiency: Sangalang Is Most Accurate
Magnolia Hotshots center Ian Sangalang was the most accurate shooter in the conference from the field, hitting at a 66.15 percent clip—a number that reflects both his touch around the basket and the quality of shots he was getting within the Hotshots’ system.
Jordan Heading of TNT led all players in free throw accuracy at 92.85 percent. Meralco Bolts guard Bong Quinto was the best from the 4-point arc at 55.56 percent, while teammate Chris Newsome topped the 3-point shooting percentage chart at 46.58 percent—the most accurate long-range shooter in the conference.
Rebounding: Fajardo’s Domain, as Always
June Mar Fajardo is not giving up the boards to anyone. The San Miguel Beermen behemoth led all players with 14.54 rebounds per game and topped the offensive glass with 5.08 per outing. A conference title may have eluded SMB, but Fajardo’s dominance on the boards remained unchallenged from opening tip to final buzzer.
Defense: Munzon and Lucero Set the Tone
Titan Ultra Giant Risers guard Joshua Munzon was the league’s premier thief, averaging 2.92 steals per game. Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero was the best shot-blocker in the conference, averaging 2.0 rejections per outing. Both players made their presence felt on the defensive end in a conference dominated by offensive fireworks.
Minutes Played: Leung Carries the Macau Load
Macau’s Jenning Leung logged the most minutes of any player in the conference, averaging 40.51 per game—a reflection of how heavily the Black Knights leaned on their local contributors given the challenges the guest team faced throughout the tournament. Ahanmisi was second at 39.55 minutes, followed by Chong Qui at 38.35.
Imports: Bol Bol Leads Despite Early Exit
Among the reinforcements, Bol Bol was in a class of his own before his torn Achilles ended his Commissioner’s Cup run in the semifinals. The 7-foot-3 TNT import averaged 35.88 points and led all imports in blocked shots at 3.94 per game—numbers that suggest the Tropang 5G would have been an even more formidable Finals opponent had he stayed healthy.
His replacement, Chris McCullough, averaged 31.9 points after arriving mid-series. Ginebra’s four-time Best Import Justin Brownlee finished fifth among imports in scoring at 31.62 points per game—but his was the most important production of all. Bol played the most minutes among imports at 41.59 per game, with Brownlee second at 41.19.
The conference numbers paint the full picture: a tournament full of individual excellence, capped by a championship that went to the team with the most complete package when it mattered most.
