THE INAUGURAL BALLER AWARDS: THE PBA PLAYER OF THE YEAR FOR 2013
In lieu of a PBA year-ender, I felt it would be better to go position-by-position and look at the best PBAers of 2013. These are the guys who did really well in the pro circuit. Perhaps they led their teams to conference titles. Perhaps they led the league in a certain statistical category. Perhaps they were part of Gilas Pilipinas and helped the team make history. Perhaps they did all of those things.
In this post, we will give a Baller Award to the PBA Player of the Year for 2013.
The Player of the Year Nominees (essentially the best players per position):
Jayson Castro – Talk N Text and Gilas Pilipinas
We picked Castro as the Best PBA PG of 2013. He was awesome all season for TNT, helping them win the 2012-2013 Philippine Cup and then remain competitive in the latter two conferences. Even more importantly, Castro put on a great show as Gilas Pilipinas annexed one of three Asian tickets to the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Nobody can overstate just how big 2013 was for Castro.
Jeff Chan – Rain or Shine and Gilas Pilipinas
We picked Chan as the Best PBA SG of 2013. His shooting numbers dipped a little in 2013 compared to 2012, but he still remained one of the deadliest shooters not just in the pros but in the entire continent. He played a vital role in both the Painters’ second straight Finals appearance (they won the 2012 Govs’ Cup and entered the Finals of the 2013 Philippine Cup) and Gilas Pilpinas’s memorable FIBA Asia campaign. He’s as close as we’ll get to a reincarnation of the Tiggerman himself.
Gabe Norwood – Rain or Shine and Gilas Pilipinas
The Best PBA SF of 2013 doesn’t rank among the league’s elite in terms of scoring or even EFF, but his contributions to Rain or Shine and Gilas Pilipinas are invaluable and unparalleled nonetheless. The former George Mason playmaker toned down his offense in 2013 in favor of being more capable on the defensive end. This really came to fore in the 2013 FIBA Asia tournament, especially when he was tasked to shadow guys like Jordan’s Jimmy Baxter, Qatar’s Jarvis Hayes, and Iran’s Samad Nikkah Bahrami.
Ranidel De Ocampo – Talk N Text and Gilas Pilipinas
RDO was named our Best PBA PF of 2013. He was the Finals MVP of the 2013 Philippine Cup, which TNT won, was a member of the Mythical First Team, and was instrumental in Gilas’s FIBA Asia campaign. Along with Marc Pingris, RDO held the fort when Marcus Douthit was slowed down, and eventually saddled, by a leg injury late in the tournament. He hit a lot of big shots (hello, Korea!) and made a ton of big plays in the Pinoys’ memorable run.
June Mar Fajardo – Petron Blaze and Gilas Pilipinas
The Kracken was named the Best PBA Center and Best PBA Newcomer of 2013. One cannot fully explain how great June mar has become. His improvement throughout 2013 has resulted in a fine big man specimen who can potentially dominate not just in the PBA but possibly in continental play. Fajardo represents the promising future in store for Philippine basketball.
And the BALLER goes to…
JAYSON CASTRO
Folks, put your hands together and dry your lungs for the best point guard not just in the PBA but in all of Asia. Give it up for the first Filipino to be named as one of the members of the FIBA Asia All-Star Five (equivalent of the PBA’s Mythical Five) in, well, as far as I can remember. Castro was in the mix for last season’s MVP balloting, he was the most consistent Tropang Texter all season, and, currently, he’s near the top of the board in terms of EFF (fourth to be exact with a 40.38 EFF). Right now, he’s second overall in scoring, top four in three-point shooting, and top five in assists. The PBA Player of the Year for 2013 is definitely Talk N Text’s Jayson Castro.
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