Put more respect on their names.
The red carpet will be rolled out once again next month for the PBA Leo Awards, where the league's brightest players from the previous season will be feted.
Of course, the PBA's marquee players like Scottie Thompson, Christan Standhardinger, June Mar Fajardo, Paul Lee, Calvin Abueva, and Kevin Alas, among others are nominated for the top individual awards.
But there are also a few under-the-radar, under-appreciated, unassuming guys who could take home a trophy or two. They continue to prove that hard work pays off in the PBA. They may not always be in the spotlight or hog the headlines like the more starry names, but they are integral parts of their respective teams.
It's never difficult to root for the underdogs.
Don Trollano - Candidate for Mythical Selection/Most Improved Player
The hard-nosed forward has improved every year since being drafted as the 15th overall pick in 2015. But he truly blossomed last season as one of the main offensive weapons of the NLEX Road Warriors. He's one of the most underrated and most efficient scorers in the PBA today and he has a good chance to sneak into the Mythical Ten for the first time in his career.
He put up career-high numbers of 16.3 points, 48% field goal shooting, and 5.2 rebounds last season, with coach Frankie Lim giving him the keys to fully operate.
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Aaron Black - Candidate for Mythical Selection
Like Trollano, Black slipped in his draft class. He ended up as the 18th overall pick by the Meralco Bolts in 2019. He watched his Ateneo Blue Eagles teammates and UAAP counterparts plucked ahead of him. Fast forward to today, he arguably has the best career out of all of them. Last season, he tallied 14.3 points, 4.2 boards, and 5.4 dimes as one of the league's top all-around weapons.
He already has a Rookie of the Year trophy, and adding more mint will only bolster his case as the biggest draft steal in recent memory.
Ato Ular - Candidate for Rookie of the Year
Perhaps no other player embodies the theme of this list than Ular. He was virtually unknown when he entered the PBA with the Blackwater Bossing. Selected as the 13th overall pick, the former Letran Knights center is the typical workhorse. His lunch pail ethic has made him a frontrunner for the top rookie honor. He averaged 11.1 points, 48.6% field goal shooting, and 8.9 rebounds last season.
Blackwater has had a lot of prized picks in the past, but it could be the unheralded Ular who finally takes home the Rookie of the Year plum.
Justin Arana - Candidate for Rookie of the Year
Not too far behind Ular is Arana, who's another feel-good underdog story. After a stellar stint with the Arellano University Chiefs, he was picked as the fourth overall pick by the Converge FiberXers. He immediately made his presence felt despite being an unheralded big man. He is a roll-up-your-sleeves type of guy, averaging 9.9 points, 7.5 boards, and 1.2 blocks. He's on track to become one of the PBA's important big men.
Not bad at all for someone who almost walked away after struggling in his first few years in college.
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RK Ilagan - Candidate Most Improved Player
Ilagan is the latest dynamo to join the Height Is Not Always Might club. He split time last season with the FiberXers and the Bossing and was productive in both stints. After a modest rookie stint as the 31st pick overall, the diminutive guard put up 8.6 points on 38.3% shooting from downtown and 3.1 assists last season. Solid numbers for a young floor general.
He could still be erratic at times but it also shows that he's not afraid to take risks. Expect Ilagan to be more productive all-around in his third year.
Rodney Brondial, Andreas Cahilig, Glenn Khobuntin, Mike Nieto, Kevin Racal, and Alec Stockton - Candidates for All-Defensive Team
There will always be a roster spot in the PBA for defensive players. As they say, there's no off-night when it comes to defense. These guys have proven that while they may not score a lot, their efforts on the other end are as significant. They entered the PBA as hotshots from college—some of them were even main scoring options—and yet they learned to embrace a much different role.
They rarely get credit when their respective teams win, but the Leo Awards can give them a brief yet much-deserved time in the spotlight.
Catch the Leo Awards before the opening of the PBA's 48th season on November 5. It will be aired live at 4 p.m. on A2Z, PBA Rush on Cignal, and the Pilipinas Live app.