Back to square
Justin Brownlee appears to have cleared the path toward a fourth PBA Best Import award, especially with Barangay Ginebra’s quest to end a long title drought very much alive.
The shortest in a conference with reinforcements of unlimited height, the 6-foot-5 Brownlee is the frontrunner for the coveted honor named after the late great Bobby Parks through the end of the Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, with the citation to be given before Game 4 of the Gin Kings’ ongoing Finals series against defending champion TNT.
The Gin Kings’ beloved resident import along with Rain or Shine’s Jaylen Johnson are among the four candidates for the honor, so are TNT’s Chris McCullough and Meralco’s Patrick Gardner.
Eligibility rules
PBA rules state that the four imports who make the semifinals and complete the round are eligible for the award, regardless of the number of games played.
Bol Bol’s Achilles injury in Game 2 of the semis with Meralco not only ended his chances of completing his much-talked stint for TNT, but also his Best Import eligibility.
Bol was way ahead in the statistical points category when the league first released the tally after the eliminations, with an average of 59.4.
The 7-foot-3 former NBA player was the likely leader had he finished the semis—and Brownlee’s biggest challenger.
Brownlee topped the statistical points race after the semis with an average of 50.5, with Bol’s replacement following suit at 49.3 despite appearing for just three games in a TNT uniform.
Out of the race
Johnson, who was a key part in Rain or Shine’s 8-0 start before reaching the semifinals, was third at 47.2 while Gardner had 44.3 statistical points in three games for Meralco.
45 percent of the stats will be used to determine the winner, with the rest coming through votes from the media (30 percent) and players (25 percent).
Meanwhile, Brownlee’s teammate RJ Abarrientos is a strong contender for the Best Player of the Conference award.
Abarrientos is one of five candidates for the conference honor, with NLEx’s Robert Bolick, San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo, Phoenix’s Ricci Rivero and Terrafirma’s Jerrick Ahanmisi also in the running.
Abarrientos, however, is third in stats at 37.2, trailing Bolick (38.9) and Fajardo (38.6), though the two are likely out after NLEx and San Miguel were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
No player has won the BPC after his team was eliminated in the quarters.
Game 2 of the championship between the Gin Kings and Tropang 5G were being played at presstime at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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