THE TOP FIVE PBA POINT GUARDS RIGHT NOW (MARCH 1, 2014)
Mark Barroca is the toast of the local basketball world right now after he led San Mig Coffee’s decisive rally in the fourth quarter of Game 6 in the 2014 PBA Philippine Cup Finals, but is he the only playmaker worth his peso in these parts? As we transition into a new conference, we will look at the best the PBA has to offer at every position, and we will begin with a spot that has some of the deepest talent – point guard.
Without further ado, here they are – the top five point guards in the 2013-2014 PBA season as of March 1, 2014:
5. Alex Cabagnot (GLO) – 12.4ppg, 4.3rpg, 5.7apg, 1.7 triples per game, .355 3pt%, 30.5 EFF
Despite not being named to any Philippine national team, Cabagnot remains to play at a level that affords him the status of one of the country’s best playmakers. He hits nearly two triples per game, is among the top five in assists, and, perhaps most importantly, turns the ball over at just 1.4 per game. To put that in perspective, he has the highest assist-to-turnover ratio and lowest turnover average of anyone on this list. Looks like that Cabaggie-Mercado swap might not have been as lopsided as some people might think.
4. JV Casio (ALA) – 15.1ppg, 3.9rpg, 3.9apg, 2.4 triples per game, .369 3pt%, 31.4 EFF
The bright side of the Aces’ unceremonious stumble in the Philippine Cup is that they have lots of time to rest and recharge before their title defense in the Commish Cup. Casio, in particular, should be extra fresh and sharp when hostilities begin on Wednesday. He was pretty much playing the best basketball of his life last conference, and I don’t expect any dip in his production in the Commish Cup. Once again, he should make for an awesome inside-outside tandem with import Rob Dozier.
3. Mark Barroca (SMC) – 13.3ppg, 4.5rpg, 4.3apg, 2.0spg, 32.3 EFF
The newly-minted Coffee King won his first Finals MVP earlier this week, and all signs point to him continuing to have a banner year in the PBA. This despite not being named to the Gilas Pilipinas 18-man pool. Perhaps he’ll use that as motivation to upstage his more ballyhooed counterparts? Barroca remains the most dangerous thief in the league, and he has shown a penchant for making big shots in big moments. We should all watch out. Something tells me his awesomeness is far from over.
2. Sol Mercado (SMB) – 18.9ppg, 4.0rpg, 5.1apg, 34.5 EFF
The Sol Train will begin playing for his third team in the last handful of conferences. After moving from Meralco to GlobalPort, Mercado will now don the San Miguel Beermen jersey, reuniting with best buddy Chris Ross, who also used to play in Meralco. Mercado’s scoring will definitely see a decline, what with guys like June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, and Chris Lutz hogging most of the shots. Oh, and then there’s import Josh Boone, too.
1. Jayson Castro (TNT) – 19.3ppg, 4.7rpg, 4.7apg, 1.6 triples per game, .406 3pt%, .860 FT%, 37.8 EFF
Castro’s team fell way short of defending its Philippine Cup title, but it’s not for Castro’s lack of trying. The Blur continued to be the country’s best point guard despite TNT getting the boot from eventual champion San Mig Coffee in three games. Castro looks to be back with a vengeance in the Commish Cup, where he should continue to improve his case as a potential MVP candidate this season.
Outside looking in:
LA Tenorio (ALA) – 29.8 EFF
Denok Miranda (BAR) – 27.3 EFF
Paul Lee (ROS) – 26.7 EFF
Enzo Flojo has been writing about all things basketball for quite some time now. You can read more of his stuff on his nationally-recognized blog, HoopNut.com, on the college hoops site, InboundPass.com, on Rappler Sports, on Asia-Basket.com, or you can follow him on Twitter — @HoopNut.
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
