With 24 games already done and dusted in the ongoing PBA On Tour, there have been a handful of performers who are playing above expectations, eager to carve out space for themselves moving forward with their respective squads.
Yes, many superstars are not in the active lineup as they are still recovering from injuries but this does not mean that the strong play of certain personnel will only be for the offseason.
It’s great to see a star like Terrence Romeo getting his groove back but we all know what we can deliver when healthy. This list is about the guys who may not be talked about a lot but have shown in their first few games that they are ready to rise.
Raul Soyud
The big man of the Phoenix Super LPG has shown before that he is willing to put in the work to earn the trust of his coaching staff. He fell to the end of the bench of the NLEX Road Warriors but was able to get back to the rotation during the first PBA Bubble in Clark. He elevated his game so much that he was in consideration for Most Improved Player of the Year in 2020.
Soyud found himself with TNT after a three-team trade involving Blackwater and NLEX. After a nondescript stint with the Tropang Giga, he was shipped to Phoenix earlier this year.
Before getting injured last Wednesday against Ginebra, Soyud picked up four double-doubles in four games. He averages 16.0 points and 10.6 rebounds on an amazing 66% shooting clip from the field.
What’s good about Soyud is that he can hit mid-range jumpers and even triples so this means he can play alongside a post-up type of import if Phoenix wants to go that route for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Larry Muyang
In terms of raw numbers, Larry Muyang is not that far behind Soyud. At 15.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game on 57% field goal shooting, the seventh pick of the 46th PBA Season Rookie Draft has always shown glimpses of brilliance but now it looks like he’s ready to put everything together with Phoenix.
With Jason Perkins not yet playing on tour, Soyud and Muyang have formed a solid starter-second unit combination that has given the Fuel Masters a reliable big on the floor at any given time.
Justin Arana
There was always a hope that Justin Arana would turn out to be a top big man in the PBA in the future. The former NCAA MVP is well-built for the pro game at the power forward position and under the coaching of Aldin Ayo, aided by one of the best big men in PBA history in Danny Ildefonso, Arana looks poised to take a lead role with the squad.
With norms of 18.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, Arana has become undeniable with the FiberXers, especially after posting 32 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks on 65% field-goal shooting against the Blackwater Bossing in their last game.
If Converge once again opts for a tall wing like their last Commissioner’s Cup import in Quincy Miller, Arana will have to play major minutes for the team and he looks ready to take charge in the paint.
Ben Adamos
Sometimes a change in scenery is all a player needs to restart his career. And it certainly helps when there’s a familiar face in charge of the squad. Ben Adamos was selected a pick higher than Muyang but has never really cracked the rotation of the teams he has played for.
Originally drafted by Alaska before they sold the team to Converge, Adamos was traded to Phoenix alongside Kurt Lojera for Aljun Melecio and Kris Porter.
He scored about five points per game with Converge but this dropped to barely a point per match with Converge. NLEX head coach Frankie Lim considered a reunion with his former Perpetual player which led to a two-for-one trade that had the Road Warriors part ways with Tzaddy Rangel and Reden Celda.
In two games with NLEX, Adamos has been a revelation. He debuted with 18 points with four triples against Magnolia. He then gave his old Phoenix teammates a glimpse of what they lost with 27 points (five triples), 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
In Lim’s free-flowing offense that relies heavily on the 3-point game, Adamos looks to be a good fit and he’s getting a lot of reps as well with 30 minutes per game as they are still playing without Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser.
Like Soyud and Muyang, Adamos might be able to see solid rotation minutes in the Commissioner’s Cup especially if NLEX considers an inside operator as their import.
Jed Mendoza
A product of the Purefood TJ Titans in the PBA 3x3 ranks, Jed Mendoza was given a shot by the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots in the full-court game. He’s been patiently waiting for his opportunity and it has finally come. He only played spot minutes last season but he has cracked coach Chito Victolero’s guard rotation.
This is no fluke as Magnolia is playing Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, and Jio Jalalon heavily as well. Barroca gave Mendoza heavy props because the young guard keeps pushing him in practice but the former UE Red Warrior is eager to show the hard work in practice is going to bear fruit for him as well.
Averages of 9.5 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game might not wow you but his impact has been undeniable. Mendoza knows he won’t get a ton of touches so what he does is focus on efficiency as he’s shooting 63% from two and 60% from deep, including a dagger triple he made to seal a win against NLEX.
Nard John Pinto
All the aforementioned players are commendable for elevating their game but the one who might be ready to break out completely is John Pinto of Ginebra. The second-unit point guard has gotten played big games for Ginebra as he almost single-handedly lifted them to a win in Game in Game 5 of the Finals when Justin Brownlee was out with an illness.
However, his minutes went up and down in the series against TNT. There was a time when he played 37 minutes but there were two games where he also played fewer than seven.
Ginebra’s PBA On Tour squad is far from full strength. Japeth Aguilar, Jamie Malonzo, Scottie Thompson, and head coach Tim Cone are all focusing on the Gilas Pilipinas campaign. Stanley Pringle and Christian Standhardinger are doing their best to heal up from injuries, and LA Tenorio is still in the process of kicking cancer’s butt.
This has given Pinto the keys to the team and even with limited options to work with, the point guard has done well in leading what feels like a throwback Ginebra team.
He started out a bit tentative with his offense, taking only four shots in their first game but the playmaking was definitely there. Now he averages 12.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per match and he was the Best Player of the Game when Ginebra got their first win at the expense of Phoenix Super LPG.
The Commissioner’s Cup is still months away but with Pringle and Tenorio still in recovery mode and Thompson coming off possible FIBA Basketball World Cup and. Asian Games campaigns, Ginebra might have to bank on Pinto to run the show, and his PBA on Tour performance has so far shown that he is up for the challenge.