The stars will come out and play in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, that’s for sure. The super imports—Justin Brownlee for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for TNT Tropang Giga—will no doubt be super yet again. Scottie Thompson will do it all as he always does. RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana will catch fire at some point. Japeth Aguilar will do his thing.
That’s to be expected. They are the stars of stars, after all, the main men of the two combatants. But championships aren’t won only by the superstars. They need help, and the team that gets more out of their supporting cast will probably win it all—unless, of course, either Brownlee or RHJ turn in a series for the ages.
Barring that, here are six players—three from each side—that might just sway the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals in their team’s favor:
RJ Abarrientos
Playoff Averages:12.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists
Ginebra will need playmakers other than Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson against that stout TNT defense that not even the league’s second-best offense could solve. Abarrientos, described by Tim Cone as a starter coming off the bench, fits the bill as a scoring point guard who is seemingly unperturbed even by big moments.
Stephen Holt
Playoff Averages: 13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.6 steals
While Holt does appear to have found his footing for Ginebra in the playoffs, he will need to step up even more in the Finals. He will particularly be crucial on defense, where he will likely get the unenviable task of being Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s primary defender. Holt isn’t stopping RHJ, that’s for sure, but he needs to at least make TNT’s prolific import bleed for his points—all while making enough open shots.
Maverick Ahanmisi
Playoff Averages: 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists
One reason TNT is so good defensively is it walls off the paint. This makes the long ball a likely determining factor as to how this series will play out. Ahanmisi will have a lot to say about that as he has quietly become one of Ginebra’s more reliable and consistent marksmen, hitting 18-for-36 from deep in the playoffs. It goes without saying that Ahanmisi will need to be on target against the stingy Tropa defense.
Rey Nambatac
Playoff Averages: 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists
Namabatac is no Mikey Williams replacement, but he has been consistently productive for the Tropa, particularly in these playoffs, where he has scored in double digits in all but one of TNT’s nine games. With TNT yet to get untracked offensively this conference, Nambatac’s playmaking will be a crucial complement to the team’s unforgiving defense.
Poy Erram
Playoff Averages: 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks
Erram pointed out in the PBA Finals presscon that he is Kelly Williams’s backup, not the other way around. But with Williams nursing a tender calf, the former Ateneo Blue Eagle has had a bigger role lately, and he has responded, norming 11.2 points, 4.8 caroms, and 2.0 blocks a game in the semis. Expect an equally bigger role for Erram, who will be counted upon to not only neutralize Japeth Aguilar but also to disrupt Ginebra’s pace-and-space attack.
Glenn Khobuntin
Playoff Averages: 6.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists
RHJ will likely want the challenge of shadowing Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee, and he will have his chances no doubt. But so too will Khobuntin, who has the size, agility, and lateral quickness to at least give JB a hard time. This role will help reduce Hollis-Jefferson’s minutes guarding Brownlee, allowing him to conserve his energy so he can take over on both ends in the second half.
