Later tonight, before Game 4 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and TNT Tropang 5G, Justin Brownlee will probably be named Best Import of the Conference for a fourth time in his career. His teammate, RJ Abarrientos, meanwhile, looks in line to earn his very first Best Player of the Conference award, although it is still possible that someone else beats him to it.
Why Justin Brownlee Is a Lock for Best Import
Brownlee, 38, will almost certainly win the Best Import award this PBA Commissioner’s Cup as his 50.5 Statistical Points (SPs) tops all imports. This matters because SPs comprise 45% of the total points to determine the award winners. The other 55% come from media votes (30%) and player votes (25%).
Crucially, Brownlee will be going head-to-head only with Rain or Shine Elasto Painters import Jaylen Johnson after TNT’s Bol Bol and Meralco Bolts’ Marvin Jones were disqualified from the race on account of them being replaced and unable to finish the tournament. And, between Brownlee and Johnson, chances are high that the voting will lean on the former, who vastly outplayed the latter in the semifinals.
Why RJ Abarrientos Isn’t a Lock for Best Player
Curiously, RJ Abarrientos didn’t make any headway in the SPs battle among locals, staying at third behind NLEX Road Warriors guard Robert Bolick and San Miguel Beermen center June Mar Fajardo.
Bolick, whose 41.9 SPs led all locals prior to the start of the playoffs, still leads the pack with 38.6 SPs, while Fajardo remains at second with 38.6 SPs, which is slightly down from the 39.5 SPs he amassed in the eliminations. Abarrientos continues to be No. 3 with 37.5 SPs, which is 0.3 points higher than the 37.2 SPs he accumulated in the elimination round.
The incremental increase is surprising given Abarrientos’ brilliance in the playoffs, which includes back-to-back 30-point explosions that helped Ginebra fight off Rain or Shine in the semis. This means the reigning Rookie of the Year will need to get the nod of the media and fellow players to offset either Bolick’s or Fajardo’s advantage in SPs.
That’s not impossible by any means. However, it does present a possible complication.
