As of writing this, 3 out of the 6 independent teams in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup are sitting on top of the standings. A lot of fans can’t help but speculate if these teams can indeed compete for a title, but how are they exactly doing it?
Batang Pier’s Resurgence
The best team in the league with a 6-1 record, the Northport Batang Pier is making noise led by their leading local scorer Arvin Tolentino who averages 24.7 points per game with 8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. With those numbers, he’s making a solid case to become the Best Player of the Conference.
But he isn’t doing it alone, with his co-star Joshua Munzon averages 18.8 points, 3.14 rebounds, 2.57 assists, and leading the league in steals with 2.43 per ball game, no doubt he’s the defensive anchor for his squad. Another defensive player who stood out from the North is William Navarro as he’s one of the best local shot blockers in this conference. He averages 1.28 per game and he has helped the entire Batang Pier to average 1.29 per outing.
With both offense and defense being taken care of by their locals, their reinforcement Kadeem Jack is the one feasting underneath the paint. He averages 11.8 RPG, 1.71 BPG, 1.42 APG, and 30.2 PPG.
As the play style of Tolentino, Munzon, and Navarro complement well with their import, this team can give the element of surprise if they win it all in this conference.
Strong Connection From The Fiberxers
They made a huge statement last conference as they almost beaten the mighty San Miguel Beermen in the Game 5 of the Governor’s Cup quarterfinals. Now, this young team led by the duo of Alec Stockton and Justin Arana is aiming to win the championship more than ever.
Stockton is averaging 15.1 PPG, 5.75 APG, and 6.12 RPG while shooting 41.2% from the field. Arana on the other hand averages 10.7 PPG and 5.75 RPG as he slowly develops to be one of the best big men in the league. Another local that stood up to outperform the others is Schonny Winston as he averages 11.1 PPG, 3.25 APG, and 4 RPG.
Their two prized rookies are also the reason why Converge is the #3 in the standings. Jordan Heading who debuted in the PBA this conference averages 17.2 PPG, 6.75 APG, 4.25 RPG while scorching hot from beyond the arc as he is 42.8% from the three-point area. The #1 pick in last year’s draft Justine Baltazar struggled in his 5 games with the Xers. He averages 7.4 PPG, 2.4 APG, and 8.4 RPG but after getting a rest from the holiday break, he surely can show his true potential in 2025.
Their reinforcement Cheick Diallo is also helping them get wins. He’s their double-double machine with 24 PPG and 15.1 RPG
Can the FiberXers reach new heights at this conference? Only time can tell.
Pick Your Poison For The Elasto Painters
With the starting 5 changing every single game, the brilliance of Coach Yeng Guiao is being displayed as he showcases that anyone from his locals can be the best player of the game. Anybody can start but his closing lineup remains intact.
Currently, the #2 in the standings, Rain or Shine has a record of 4 wins and 2 losses and they’ve made a collective effort to win games. As a team they average 108.6 PPG, with the points off turnovers they average 13.4%, for points in the paint they average 45.5 with a percentage of 57.3% while their bench averages 56.6 PPG. They’re also shooting 32% from beyond the arc, 50.9% on 2-pointers, shooting 66.6% from the charity stripe and have an average of 22.4 APG and 50.4 RPG.
If there’s one constant player who has shown that he can help this team to go deeper in the playoffs, it’s their import, Deon Thompson. He averages 20 PPG, a close 13 rebounds per outing along with 2.75 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.25 blocks. Thompson has proven himself to be the defensive specialist for this squad.
After bowing down in the semis to the eventual champs TNT Tropang Giga last Governor’s Cup, can the Elasto Painters break their 9-year title drought in this conference?
